Dead Man's Hand
by Robrafgon
Summary: The Wanderer and the Courier have made it back to the Mojave, but the desert is even more unstable than ever with the Legion and the NCR bearing down and New Vegas caught in the middle. Where do the Courier's loyalties lie? And will the Wanderer join him? Sequel to Shattered Illusions and Frontier Dreaming.
1. Nonsense

_Hello and welcome to Dead Man's Hand! Part 3 in the Shattered Illusions story. If you haven't read parts 1 or 2 yet, well what are you waiting for!? Go read them, this will still be here when you get back. For those of you up to date, it's wonderful to see you all again. I do sincerely hope you enjoy or latest venture with Ava and Knox. So without further ado, I present to you Chapter 1!_

**May 14, 2280**

**14:00**

**REPCONN Test Sight**

Nothing made sense.

And not in an, "I'm a little confused by this," sort of way. The current situation defied all probability. Not a single event that had happened in the past few hours could even be remotely described as a reasonable and logical scenario.

It just made no sense.

It didn't make sense that there was suddenly an oddly blue and _most inconveniently_ invisible super mutant trying to kill her. The incoherent ramblings of the blue mutant made little sense either; something about tearing off her wings and eating them, or some such nonsense.

The delusional prophet and his Great Journey were ridiculous. His followers' absolute faith, including those who had no business being faithful, defied all comprehension.

And most of all, the fact that Ava was currently wandering the dismal labs beneath a rocket test site for no other reason than to help a group of hopefully spacefaring ghouls leave this planet behind. That was the most ridiculous of all.

Of all the twists and turns her life had taken, none were quite us disturbingly random as this. It was too damn much for her to handle. If it weren't for Knox…

Knox.

That motherfucker was dead. As in soon to be not living. There was no way he didn't immediately know what the ghouls had meant by "invisible demons". Bastard knew _everything_ about the Mojave. This was his idea of a joke. Ava swore to herself she'd show him her own idea of joke, assuming she got out of this basement alive. It would be so goddamned funny to shove her fist in Knox's mouth and break his nose from the inside of his face.

Fucking hilarious.

Ava grit her teeth as she dived over another of the blue giant's swings with its large, crudely fashioned club. The chunk of cement on the end of the rebar left a dent in the metal wall. Ava glanced behind her. The dent was in the exact space her head had recently vacated. Wonderful.

"Pull out all your feathers! And then eat your feathers!" the mutant bellowed as he lifted it high above his head to smash Ava into little meaty bits, or feathers depending on who you asked. She rolled to the side as the club dropped down. Rising to one knee, Ava whipped Clarity out of its sheathe in a violent, one-handed cross stroke. Blood welled from the mutant's thighs and it howled in pain and anger. Ava jumped up swinging the sheathe and sword in a violent one-two strike. The mutant stumbled back as the reinforced sheathe slammed into its jaw followed shortly by the blade slicing up and across its face, blinding it momentarily.

"Aghhhh! Little bird peck, peck, PECKING! Can't see the bird, can't SMASH THE BIRD!"

Ava jerked back unsteadily as the mutant dropped his club and began waving his arms back and forth, searching for her blindly. She stumbled on her heel and started to fall over backwards, dropping Clarity in the process, but the mutant's groping hands found purchase on her hair and hauled her up by her neatly arranged Mohawk.

Ava hissed in pain and frustration, it had taken nearly an hour to get it up perfect and now the insane mutant was ruining it!

"Hands. Off. The. HAWK!" Each word was punctuated by a sharp punch to the face, but the mutant gave no indication of feeling the blows.

Instead he just held her at arm's length. Her range being significantly less than his, her swings fell on empty air. With his eyes closed, the mutant leaned in towards her and roared, "HAWK! IT _IS_ A BIRD!"

Ava scrunched her nose at the scent of stale meat and rot that leaked out of the mutant's mouth. She reached her hands up to grab onto his wrist and take the weight of her hair and swing her knees up into the jaw of the mutant.

The mutant's jaw snapped shut on his tongue and he released Ava in shock. Ava flipped over backwards, sliding Perforator off her back. She landed hard on her butt in a doorway, but still managed to raise the rifle as the mutant stomped towards her, now screaming completely unintelligibly.

Her finger gently squeezed the trigger and shot after shot rocked into the mutant's body until it fell flat on its face directly in front of her. The floor shook as the hulking figure slammed into the ground. Ava watched it cautiously for a few more moments, making sure it was dead.

Once she was sure, she rose to her feet and gathered up her sword, sliding it back into her belt. She kicked the mutant's corpse and gave it a hearty, "fuck you."

"What? Not gonna flip it… the bird?" a voice drawled out of her PipBoy's radio, followed by chuckles.

She was right. Knox thought this was all hilarious.

"Fuck you too," she spat back at him before turning her radio off. She found a camera pointed directly at her and gave it the finger instead. Bastard was probably watching her do all the heavy lifting.

She turned her back on the camera and stepped through the doorway she'd fallen in. She gave a startled yelp as another mutant materialized out of thin air in front of her. Man, that was jarring. Did people feel like that when she decloaked in front of them?

The mutant swung a massive arm at her, connecting solidly in her chest. The air whooshed out of her lungs as she flew back into the hallway and collided with the wall. She slid down to the floor, dazed.

"Huh. I left a dent next to the dent," she slurred as she looked up at the pair of dents on the wall with swimming vision. As the mutant stepped into the hall with her, her eyes focused right quick and widened as it hurled its club at her. She twisted to the side, narrowly dodging the heavy projectile and scurried to her feet, tearing off as fast as she could from the mutant.

She twisted and turned through the myriad corridors until she was able to duck inside an open door and hide behind its frame. Her eyes flicked to the side nervously waiting for the blue monster to follow her in, but instead she heard the sound of its heavy foot plants go right by the door.

Ava let out the breath she didn't realize she was holding.

Until she heard, "What's that, Antler? We have a visitor?"

Her eyes slowly rose to meet the startled gaze of yet another mutant.

Well, fuck.

**Earlier that day**

**09:00**

**Novac**

Beds were undoubtedly the best thing in existence.

At least this was what the semi-conscious mind of Ava Mitchell decided as she snuggled deeper into the mountain of pillows and continued to drool the morning away in blissful sleep.

Nothing could beat beds and nothing could get her out of this bed.

Rapid knocking on the door shattered that wonderful dream real fast.

Ava buried her face into the bed and groaned, hoping that the knocking would go away of its own volition. That was not the case. If anything it got louder and even faster. With another frustrated groan she tossed the covers off herself and stretched languidly like a cat. If the knocking wasn't going to stop then it sure as shit was going to wait for her to be ready.

With a sigh and one last longing look at the pillows, Ava got out of bed and crossed the room to the door, pulling her underwear into its intended position as she went.

As she walked, her toes splayed out on the plush carpeting of the Novac bungalow and she daintily stepped over the various gear strewn around the room. It was remarkably well kept. The owner must have kept it readily maintained.

The night before when they'd arrived in town Knox had pulled a key out of one of his many pockets and ushered her in. However, she suspected the room was not always his. It was far too cleanly to belong to the Courier. However, his or not, Knox had kindly enough let her have the bed and he'd crashed on the couch. That being said, he was nowhere to seen at the moment and she had a growing suspicion that it was him tapping on the door as obnoxiously as possible.

She grabbed Perforator which was propped up next to the door with one hand and ripped the door open with the other. She stumbled back, staggered by the bright morning light and quickly retreated to the dim recesses of the room.

"Good morning, Ava," Knox greeted cordially, "Nice, to see you awake on this fine day." He crossed the room and plopped down at the small table next to the kitchenette. He dropped a greasy, brown paper bag on the table and began pulling his gloves off.

Ava struggled to reply with a half-hearted, "I'm gonna hurt you," but the threat was interrupted by a large yawn as she slid back into the bungalow's bed still clutching Perforator.

She quickly closed her eyes again, but soon she heard the crinkling of the bag and a wonderful smell assaulted her nostrils.

Ooooh. That clever bastard. Oh no, she wasn't going to fall that easily. She'd resist. Her stomach growled loudly, easily audible in the quiet room.

Traitorous body.

Ava lifted her head from the pillow lightly to glare at Knox who was smiling broadly at her while pulling sandwiches out of the greasy bag and two cups of what smelled like…

Coffee.

Her eyes brightened as her gaze locked on the coffee Knox had. Having caught her look, Knox lifted one of the cups and said, "Oh don't let me bother you, go right back to sleep. More for me."

As he went to sip from the paper cup, Perforator puffed once quietly. The bullet tore through the cup and spilled hot coffee into Knox's lap.

"Ack! You malicious bitch!" he cried hopping out of his chair and dashing to the sink, as Ava slid out of bed and sat down at the table to begin eating her breakfast.

The bread was slightly stale and the meat was of an unknown origin, but in short it was definitely a much more delicious way to wake up than say a tin of InstaMash. Knox cautiously approached the table, wiping his front down with a damp rag. He was leery of her spilling more hot beverages on him. To put his mind at ease, Ava reached for the now lone cup of coffee and took a sip from it.

Knox sighed in relief and sat back down at the table to help himself to his own sandwich. They munched in silence for a few seconds until Ava had had sufficient time to demolish her meal (all of a minute).

As she finished chewing she asked through a mouthful of food, "What's the plan today?"

Knox took a moment to swallow and clear his mouth before answering, "Well, we're headed to the 188 Trading Post. I've got someone I want to meet. She should be there."

"Ooooo, a she? Got a special lady?" Ava teased.

Knox gave a short laugh. "She's not my type, or rather, I guess I'm not her type. Anyway if we make good time we can hopefully make it there by the end of the day."

"Sounds good, are we-"

Ava's question was interrupted by yet more knocking on the door. However, in stark contrast to Knox's repetitive rapping, this knock was just three short bangs.

Raising an eyebrow and glancing to Knox, Ava asked, "Expecting someone?"

Knox shook his head, one hand already straying towards his pistol. Ava rolled her eyes and pushed herself away from the table to go answer the door.

"You paranoid maniac," she called Knox, before stumbling over her backpack on the ground. Quickly righting herself, she grasped the door handle and opened it once more.

Standing slightly bewildered on the step was an olive skinned man, sporting a thin goatee and a red beret. His eyes flicked down to Ava's breasts and hovered just long enough for Ava to notice.

"Eye's up," she snapped.

The man's eyes returned to her face with a bashful look. However, Ava could tell the look wasn't genuine, not mention he kept sneaking glances. Maybe she should put pants on.

"Er- yeah, hi, how you doing? Is Knox here?"

The man rattled through the pleasantries rapidly to get to his question. His eyes had also resumed their roaming.

"Why do you want to know?" Ava asked sharply, wrapping her arms over her chest and staring the man down.

"Hm?" the man said distractedly. "Oh right, one of the merchants said Knox bought some supplies from him this morning. I was hoping to have a chat."

"Is that Manny Vargas?" shouted Knox from the back of the bungalow.

Ava looked to the man questioningly. He nodded. "Yeah, it is," she called back.

"What's he want?"

Again Ava looked to Manny. Manny rolled his eyes at the ludicrous form of communication that the Courier and some strange girl were putting him through, but answered nonetheless.

"I'm looking for a favor."

"He said he's looking for a-"

"I heard him!"

Knox was silent for a few moments. Manny shifted uncomfortably under Ava's unwavering gaze. The two of them waited for Knox's answer.

"Tell him to go fuck himself!"

Manny's eyes widened in surprise and he opened his mouth to protest, but Ava put a hand on his chest and pushed him away.

"Sorry, you heard him. Go fuck yourself," she said cheerily and waved farewell as she shut the door in his face with a loud bang. She turned to Knox. "So who's Manny Vargas?"

"I'm the guy still standing outside your door," came Manny's muffled voice through the door. Ava kicked the wood to silence him.

"He's the guy who likes holding information over unfortunate amnesiacs' heads until they do something for him," explained Knox.

Ava cocked her head to the side as she rummaged around on the floor trying to find her stealth suit. "Amnesiacs? Wait a minute… you?"

"Bingo."

"Hey, he wanted to know where someone went, I asked him to check out some ghouls before I told him," Manny's voice pierced the door again. His self-defense would have been more admirable to Ava if she wasn't watching Knox make a gagging face as he crossed the room.

"Manny wanted me to oust some sort of harmless cult."

"A harmless cult that you didn't oust and now people are going missing! Wouldn't it have been great if you'd just done the job properly the first time? Now I have missing people to deal with."

"Manny, if you don't leave or just shut up," he said as he drew A Light Shining In Darkness and aiming it at chest height at the door, "I'm going to start shooting through the door. Again, it's your choice. I don't really care what you do as long as I don't have to keep hearing your voice."

Ava smirked as she finally found her clothes and began to dress herself.

"It's obvious you don't care, Knox. That's why I have a cult kidnapping people!"

Knox pulled the door open and put the barrel of his pistol to Manny's forehead. To his credit Manny did not blink and stared Knox dead in the eyes.

"You are an appallingly manipulative person, you know that right?" Knox said to Manny.

From inside the Bungalow Ava called, "From him that's quite the insult!"

Knox pursed his lips, but didn't fall for the taunt. Instead he focused on Manny again. "I want you to know, I'm not going to go check on the cult because you asked me to. I hate you. I'm going to on the_ slim_ chance that what you're telling me is true and I can help Novac. But if I go up to REPCONN and everything is fine, I'm going to come back here and punch you in the face as hard as I can and I am _really_ looking forward to that."

Manny shrugged with a contented smile. "Fine by me. I'm not exactly worried about getting punched. I hope that tells you something about the gravity of the situation."

Knox thought on that for a moment before nodding and conceding the point to Manny. "True. Maybe I'm not going to get to punch you after all. Hmmmm."

Manny smirked smugly. Knox looked back into the bungalow.

"Hey, Ava?" he yelled.

"What?" she replied.

"Manny wants to know how much a night with you costs.

"WHAT!?" screamed Ava.

"What?" asked Manny in total confusion.

Ava stormed out of the bungalow, pushing past a childishly grinning Knox and slugged Manny across the cheek. The startled man fell backwards into the dirt.

Ava leaned down over him and yelled in his face, "I'M NOT A WHORE!" before stomping off out of the hotel area.

Knox stepped over the downed man, tipping his hat in farewell and followed after her. Manny lay in the dust for a few moments trying to process what the hell just happened. His mouth fell open and closed a few times. He shook his head in disbelief.

Those people just made no sense.

**13:30**

**REPCONN Test Sight**

"Just head down to the basement, I'll keep chitchatting with Chris and see if I can find anything else out," Knox's voice crackled from her PipBoy as Ava walked down the stairs to the REPCONN factory floor. "Check it out and report in, sound good?"

"Yeah," she agreed. "Have fun talking to Chris." Ava switched her radio off. She smirked to herself. Knox had to talk to a total lunatic while she was hunting imaginary, invisible demons. This was the easiest assignment ever.

As she walked she cracked the fingers on her right hand and stretched them out. Her hand had been all manner of sore after decking Manny Vargas in the face, but just a few minutes in the presence of Jason Bright and she felt like a million bucks! The ghoul was like a radioactive pick-me-up for her. It almost made it worth it to stand there and listen to his delusional ramblings about the Great Journey.

Religion was a sore spot for her after having part of her brain removed by a hallucinogenic plant worshipping cult. At least the Bright Brotherhood was mostly harmless. Just annoying.

Ava approached the stairs to the basement and hesitated at the top. The lights on the stairs were flickering menacingly and she couldn't make out the door at the bottom. Swallowing any nerves she felt, she flicked on her PipBoy light and took the first step.

And immediately fell. Her foot slipped out from under her and she skidded down the stairs until coming to a very painful halt at the bottom. She got to her knees, her PipBoy light reflecting off the liquid she'd slipped in… oh… wait a minute.

Ava looked around her once more.

That was a lot of blood.

The walls and floor were drenched in it; as if some monstrous creature had just beaten a corpse into oblivion and forgetting (or not caring) about the meaning of overkill.

She looked at the locked door and felt the key in her pocket. She gulped again. Maybe it wouldn't be such a bad idea to do this cloaked.

And that had been the plan until she'd knocked a bottle over and alerted the mutants to her presence. And then she'd basically walked into the back of one. And now here she was staring like an idiot at another mutant, this one having what seemed to be a rather urgent conversation with a Brahmin Skull.

She sighed. She blamed Knox for this.

He really was an utter prick sometimes.

_AND BOOM! Chapter 1 dunzo. If you have any thoughts or comments please I urge you to leave a review or send me a private message. Anything from "great to be back" to "I hope they do x in this part" and of course the inevitable "why is the Lone Wanderer cited as a character". It just never gets old having that asked. Read PART ONE people. Ha ha. But all kidding aside I adore hearing from you guys. So let me know what you think and I will see you next time._


	2. Nope

_Hello all. Welcome to Chapter 2. I felt this chapter needed a little more Knox. So I gave you a little more Knox. That being said we are still stuck in the basement. But on a brighter note I finally get to bring in one of my favorite characters in the Fallout series. So enjoy you lovely readers you. Leave a review if you like the story or have some writing or story advice. I welcome all of it._

**May 14, 2280**

**14:00**

**REPCONN Test Sight**

**Basement**

"What's that, Antler? We have a visitor?"

The mutant standing before Ava was even larger than the rest she'd encountered up to this point. He was probably the size of a master, still blue though.

He eyed her suspiciously before addressing a Brahmin skull sitting atop a computer. "An assassin, more like! I say kill it, Antler. For safe's sake!" The mutant drew a massive sword, easily taller than Ava, off its broad back. The blade slammed into the ground, cracking the metal floor with a crunch. The mutant took one step forward.

Ava squeaked and tried to back up, but only succeeded in stepping backwards into the wall. She ripped Clarity out of its sheathe and held it out in front of herself. She could only imagine Knox chuckling, "Size isn't everything."

The mutant glanced at her sword hesitantly. Did it not realize that even if she tried to block one of his swings she'd still be sent flying? It glanced back to the skull.

"Huh? …Okay, Antler. I'll ask." It turned to look back at her, the sword still hanging from one massive hand. "Hi, human," it said almost nervously. "Why you come here?"

The mutant's voice was deep and gravelly and the words were rattled off quickly like it hurt to talk. Ava was almost reminded of Fawkes, an old mutant friend of hers. Except Fawkes wasn't a total lunatic.

"Uh… hello," Ava said quietly. The mutant jumped and its brow skyrocketed. Apparently her voice was scary. "I'm Ava. I came here on behalf of the ghouls upstairs."

The mutant regarded her cautiously. "A human who is friend to ghouls? Suspicious. Very suspicious."

"We're not really friends. I'm just trying to get them out of here, but first they need to come down here and well…" she trailed off, giving a pointed stare at the mutant who either didn't notice or didn't care.

"Down here? Antler used intercom, told them to stay put. But they want to come down in basement anyways. I cannot allow," it rumbled and shook its head. "My kin are… not right in head like I am. They attack you on sight. Ghouls too. They crazy. Your ghoul friends have to stay put until we find what Antler brought us to get."

Ava was again about to protest that Bright's Brotherhood of fanatics weren't friends of hers, but she sensed that it would be futile. She regarded the mutant as coolly as possible, but her body was still wired to fight their kind almost on instinct. However, this mutant did indeed seem to be less crazy than the others. He hadn't threatened to eat her yet. That was a plus.

Ava lowered Clarity until its point rested on the floor in a similar manner to the mutant's. He looked at the sword and then at her, his lips stretching further away from his already bared teeth. Ava realized he was smiling at her.

She nervously smiled back before asking, "Who is 'Antler'?"

The smile dropped from the mutant's face and was replaced by one of shock and surprise. "Who is Antler? WHO IS ANTLER?"

The rage disappeared as quickly as the smile had and the mutant suddenly seemed nervous again. He turned to the Brahmin skull and whispered, "Antler, the human asks about you! What do I tell it?" He paused and silence dropped on the room.

Ava waited for something, but the mutant just stared at the skull. Less crazy apparently did not mean not crazy.

"All right," whispered the mutant to the skull, "All right… Yes, yes, of course." He turned back to Ava. "Who Antler is, not important to you. Antler wants that you deal with me."

"I… um… okay. Tell Antler I'll be happy to work with you."

The mutant let loose a massive breath in relief, blowing some papers off the desk he stood next to. He slung his sword back on his back and wiped the back of one blue hand across his brow.

"That's… that's just great news, human."

"Ava," Ava corrected.

"Human," the mutant replied stubbornly.

Ava sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. This line of conversation was not promising, but perseverance was rewarded.

"And who are you, exactly?" She hoped the question was specific enough for the mutant.

"Me? I am devoted to Antler," he said pointing to the skull. So the skull was definitely "Antler". "But before Antler? Hmm…" The mutant cupped his chin thoughtfully. "Captain, once. Last name, Davison. First name… don't remember."

A small laugh escaped Ava at the straightforward way the mutant said it. "Davison" stared at her in shock at the odd noise that had escaped the tiny human in front of him, but he composed himself and continued.

"I commanded a troop of Nightkin. The Master's elite. A great honor, very proud," he told Ava. "Something happened. We wandered the desert. Life without Master was… hard. The others' minds going strange, going crazy. But then I found us new master," he exclaimed excitedly. "I found us Antler!"

Ava again looked to the Brahmin skull Davison was beaming at. Apparently the bone was the new leader of Davison and his Nightkin. The massive coincidence that Ava was talking to an apparently schizophrenic mutant was not lost on her. Maybe that's why neither had tried to kill each other yet. They understood each other on some level.

"I'm glad you found Antler," she said smiling at Davison. Davison returned the smile with his own twisted version.

"Me too. Since then, everything's been going really well."

The conversation dwindled off into an awkward silence. Ava shifted uncomfortably as Davison would switch between watching her and staring adoringly at Antler.

"Well… then… I should go," Ava said lamely, breaking the silence.

Davison shook his head. "No. Antler says you are solution," he said. "Plus can't have you skulking around, making trouble."

She was skulking around? In the basement of _invisible_ mutants and she was the one skulking?

"But-" she protested.

"Do as Antler says," Davison commanded, glaring at her. "Or feel his horns. Up to you."

Ava's eyes flicked over to the skull. It suddenly seemed much more sinister. Although she wasn't sure if Davison meant literally feel the horns or if it was a metaphor for the big-ass sword he had, but Ava wasn't inclined to find out either way.

She nodded at Davison who was almost immediately quelled. Well, fuck, she thought. She was supposed to be helping the ghouls get out of REPCONN, not helping the mutants she'd been sent to get rid of. Yet here she was. What the hell was she supposed to do?

Knox would probably know what to do. In fact he'd be able to tell her what to do if she hadn't muted her radio; although that was probably a small miracle she should be thankful for. A disembodied voice floating out of her arm was most definitely not going to be helpful when communicating with the mutant hearing voices from a skull.

Actually, fuck it. She didn't need Knox for this. Ava could do this all by herself. And the Bright Brotherhood could cram it if they didn't like the outcome. Manny Vargas too. And Knox and anyone else!

Ava swallowed and asked, "What do you, I mean Antler, want me to do? Maybe I can help."

Davison was again relieved. "Good. Antler brought us here for a reason… Why was that, Antler?"

Ava waited patiently for Antler to reply to its crazy, mutant intermediary. "Right!" exclaimed Davison before fumbling around on the desk. "A piece of paper. Shipment invoice. Hundreds of Stealth Boys, sent here long time ago."

Davison thrust a crumpled piece of paper into Ava's hands, nearly knocking her over. Stealth Boys, huh? That would certainly explain the invisibility. Ava hadn't used a Stealth Boy in a long time, especially since she'd found the stealth suit, but if the Nightkin wanted them…

"But Stealth Boys must be in the one room we don't search yet – the one we can't search."

"Why can't you search it?"

"A ghoul. But not squishy like the others. This ghoul is tough."

Ava gulped nervously. Squishy: wonderful word when not being used by a super mutant to describe a person's body. Hopefully it didn't apply to her.

Davison continued his story, Ava's discomfort unnoticed by him. "I thought Antler said send my kin into that room, but three died. Ghoul is a crack shot and set traps too. After, I realize I heard Antler wrong. So I lock door to keep kin out and wait for Antler to tell me what to do. Then you come along. Antler says you are solution."

"Oh. That's… great," Ava replied, trying to think of some way to be a solution for the Nightkin. "If you can't get to the shipment, why don't I go get you some Stealth Boys elsewhere? I should be able to find some."

Davison chuckled and shook his head. "Antler bring us here for hundreds of Stealth Boys, human. Antler thinks big," he explained. "Antler IS big," he said, his eyes going wide.

"Right. Well. I guess I'll go talk to the ghoul."

"What!?"

Ava jumped at the Nightkin's surprise.

"Talk to him? You can… do that?"

Ava nodded emphatically and apparently her word was good enough for Davison because he tossed her a key and motioned for her to be on her way. She smiled at him and stepped backwards out of the room.

Once out of eye and ear shot she collapsed against the wall and let out a huge sigh. Well _that _had been tense. The rapidly blinking light of her radio caught her attention and she unmuted it.

"-are you? Heeeeelllllooooooo?"

"Hi, Knox."

"Well, slap my ass and call me a grandma, you're not dead," Knox's voice crackled from her PipBoy.

"You sound so concerned," she said wearily. "Especially since you neglected to tell me about the Nightkin." The anger quickly banished any weariness she was feeling.

Ava could practically hear the shrug through the radio.

"Seriously. I'm glad you're not dead. I was going to give you ten more minutes before I came down after you," he assured her.

Ava smiled. "Thanks, but that's probably not the best plan."

"Nightkin?"

"Yeah," she said slowly.

The radio was silent for a moment. "What did you do?"

Ava jumped to her feet. "What did _I_ do!? What do you mean what did I do? Why does it have to be something I did?"

"Quit dodging the question. What did you do?"

Ava's eyelid twitched and she considered ripping the PipBoy off her arm and hurling it at the wall. She took a deep breath and allowed herself to cool down before replying.

"I… have been talking with the Nightkin."

Her radio was silent. "Uh, hello?"

"You've been talking…"

"With the Nightkin," Ava repeated.

"The Nightkin."

"Yep."

"Talking."

"If you repeat one more word I'm going to come back up there and break a dictionary over your head!"

"How?"

"Well it's not hard," she explained as she peered around a corner, trying to find the final room Davison had been talking about. "You just have to listen. Though I'll admit there are some who are less inclined to have a conversation, but Davison seemed nice enough. Antler too."

"I don't know what any of that means," Knox mumbled.

Ava laughed a smile spreading across her face. "That's alright. Anyway I'm going to go find some Stealth Boys for the Nightkin. Hopefully that should get them to leave. Except, apparently there's some ghoul sniper down here making that extraordinarily difficult."

"I'm going to skip directly over everything wrong with finding Stealth Boys for the Nightkin. The ghoul you're talking about sounds like Harland," Knox said. "Bright mentioned him. Described him as following the cult for some, and it disturbs me to say this, ghoul poon tang."

"It disturbs me when you say that too," Ava replied absentmindedly checking another door to see if it was the locked one Davison had described.

Knox snorted, causing the radio to blow out in static for a moment. "What? Never slept with a ghoul before?"

"Not voluntarily."

"I don't want to hear about it," Knox said quickly.

"That's great. I don't want to talk about it. Hang on a moment. I think I found what I'm looking for." Ava stared down a set of stares. Down at the bottom was a headless, Nightkin corpse lying in front of a closed door. Its brains were sprayed out across the floor.

"I think I found where Harland is."

"Be careful," Knox warned, "Bright says Harland is a very capable member of the flock. I don't think he's someone you want to mess with."

Ava put a hand on her hip and looked down at her PipBoy. "Do you really think I'm going to 'mess with' him?" she asked, pouting.

"Well you are the one who _talked_ with the Nightkin."

"Thanks, Knox."

"One more thing, Ava."

Ava stepped over the Nightkin body and paused with the key to the door at the ready.

"What?"

"I have to know… ghouls… are they all dry and rotty _everywhere_?"

Ava rolled her eyes and switched her radio off. "You are so immature," she muttered to the empty room. She placed the key in the lock and twisted it. With a click the door swung open.

Almost immediately a bullet whizzed above her head. She dropped with a yip and landed flat on her back.

"Hey! Who goes there?" shouted a voice, a voice that sounded like it came from a partially decomposed throat.

Ava shot to her feet, but another shot exploded the concrete floor in between her legs.

"Do. Not. Move. Smoothskin."

Ava peered up at a ghoul standing on a catwalk above her. "Please don't call me that."

"Fine, _girl_. What the hell are you doing here?"

Ava narrowed her eyes at him. Girl wasn't much better than smoothskin. "I'm here to find a shipment of Stealth Boys for the Nightkin. They're supposed to be in this room."

Harland nodded, listening intently, but he didn't lower the rifle. "Well, we have a problem then."

"I don't like the sound of that."

The ghoul gave a humorless chuckle. "There's this lovely little ghoul I know. She's missing. I need you to-"

Ava held up a hand to stop the ghoul mid-sentence. "Nope."

"Er… what?"

"Nooooooooppppeee!"

"What do you mean 'nope'?" Harland asked. "You can't just say 'nope'."

Ava crossed her arms. "Oh yes I can. Nope. I'm not going to go hunt for your piece of ass. I'm already trying to find Stealth Boys for the Nightkin, so they'll leave for the Bright Brotherhood, so they'll leave for the folks of Novac. I'm not adding another step to that fucking ladder."

Harland stared at her in disbelief. "Are you kidding me? Well in that case I guess you're not getting your Stealth Boys."

"Nope."

"Stop saying that!" shouted Harland.

Ava grinned wickedly at him. "…Nope!" Ava dove forwards into the room, raising her cloak as she sailed under the shots Harland was already firing.

"Where the fuck did you go!?"

Ava rolled behind a pillar and onto her feet, letting her momentum carry her forward so she could sprint to the stairs. However, a series of objects on the floor caught her attention. Bear traps and land mines were scattered around the room. And there she was with her body weight throwing her forward directly onto them.

She turned the momentum into a dive and fell forward and planted one hand in between two bear traps. Springing forward, Ava twisted in the air above a land mine. She stuck her legs out, allowing the padded feet of her stealth suit to grip two girders. She slid down a foot until friction stopped her.

Well, this sucked.

She was stuck with her legs split horizontal between two metal beams, directly above a land mine and below a homicidal ghoul with a sniper rifle. Alright. Creative problem solving. How to get out of this. Step one: deal with the explosives right below her most sensitive of areas. Step two: incapacitate Harland so he couldn't shoot her in the ass while she was looking for the Stealth Boys.

Oh yeah. This definitely sucked.

Ava bent herself forward, her leg muscles already protesting from being suspended in the splits. She reached down as carefully as she could. With gentle fingers she probed the top of the mine and pressed the switch on top to deactivate it. With a muffled beep the mine turned off.

Now then. Step two. Step two would be immeasurably better with a land mine involved. She leaned forward even further to pick the dead mine up. She started to pull herself back up, but her feet started to slip. Despite the threat of the mine being disarmed, Ava reflexively caught herself by sticking her arms straight out to catch herself on the pillars. This meant the mine was no longer in her grasp. The explosive metal disk sailed down to the ground and plinked loudly on the concrete.

The mine rolled along and slowly tipped over, directly onto the activation button. Harland looked down at the now rapidly beeping mine. Ava sat suspended, invisible, but so very vulnerable to the explosive.

Think fast, think fast, think fast.

Ava dove forward and decloaked. Harland's eyes widened as the girl reappeared and rolled over the mine. She spun around, sliding across the floor on her knees. She cocked her arm back and let loose. She threw the now-activated mine directly at Harland. The disk spun through the air at him.

Harland had enough time to swear quietly and jump from the catwalk as the mine exploded. Harland thudded into the ground, dropping his rifle.

"Ah! Fucking bitch! I'm going to kill you!" He struggled to sit up, but was held down by an armored leg pinning his chest to the floor.

Ava looked down at him. She pulled Clarity's sheathe out of her belt and snapped it into Harland's forehead, knocking him out.

"Nope."

**14:30**

**REPCONN Test Sight**

**Control Room**

"Bright! We need to have a chat."

Knox walked up to the glowing ghoul and grabbed his shoulder, spinning him around so they were facing each other. The rest of the Bright Brotherhood gasped as they watched the heathen Courier touch their leader.

Bright to his credit didn't react to Knox's intentionally rude behavior.

"Hello wanderer. How may I help you?"

Knox tipped his hat up to reveal a steely gaze. "I'm just wondering exactly what the likelihood of you actually leaving is."

"I do not follow, wanderer," Bright said questioningly.

"Let me elaborate. The last time I was here you promised me that your Brotherhood wouldn't be a problem. That you would all stay in REPCONN. Yet here you are wondering the surrounding area of Novac and bringing in more and more followers. Some feral."

"The Great Journey-" Bright started.

"Don't interrupt me," Knox interrupted. "Now I'm back here again and what do I find? You've brought a human here under false pretenses to work for you," Knox looked over at the man known as Chris Haversam, a man of stunning brilliance and questionable sanity, "you've got my friend running around fighting a pack of Nightkin, and I just want to know if you will actually be leaving this place."

"Oh, wanderer. We will be leaving this place. The Great Journey cannot be stopped."

"I'm glad to hear that, Jason. Because if you don't leave and _soon_, you and I are going to have problems. You promised me you wouldn't cause difficulties here. You reneged on that agreement. You don't get to cross me twice."

"Oh wanderer," sighed Jason, "if only you could see the path as I see the path."

"Absolutely. If I could see the path, right. Drop the prophet act, Bright. If I don't get to walk out of here when Ava clears the basement; if I have to stay here dealing with you any longer, well then, you don't get to leave at all. You're wasting my time and by proxy New Vegas's time. Mr. House doesn't like to have his time wasted."

Bright narrowed his eyes at Knox. "Not even your master can stop the Great Journey, wanderer."

Knox shrugged. "We'll see." His radio crackled. "Excuse me, Bright. Time to see if you've wasted my time more than necessary."

Knox took a step away from Bright and unclipped his radio from his belt.

"What's up, Ava?"

"We have a problem."

Knox and Bright met eyes.

"You don't say?"

_And ta-deedle-da. I haven't had a chance to write Knox as the "hand of House" yet and I will certainly enjoy bringing that side of his character in every now and then. Hope you liked the chapter. Hope you liked seeing Davison. I have big plans for the Nightkin. Big, hilarious, and wonderful plans indeed. I felt like they were a tad underutilized in New Vegas and I plan to rectify that here. So hope you look forward to reading it, I look forward to writing it. If you've got thoughts on the story please leave a review and I will see you all next chapter._


	3. The Lady Ava

_Sorry it's taken so long for an update. I've been utterly swamped with school work. It has been hectic to say the least. I've been writing a lot of essays, so writing my own stories has been less than appealing. However, I've cracked this chapter out and it's a long one just for you, audience! So I hope you enjoy it. But first! The very first question asked in Dead Man's Hand!_

_Q: The story seems Ava heavy at the moment. Are we going to be seeing more Knox?_

_A: Dead Man's Hand has a lot more characters than just Knox and Ava. It also has different groups doing different things at different places. Some chapters will have both, some will have one and not the other, some might not have either of them. However, the Shattered Illusions quadrilogy is mainly focused on Ava. It's her story. So yes the story will focus on her more, but Knox is definitely still a main character and you will see much more of him. The first couple of chapters here are just a tad misleading in that regard._

_Anyway after a long answer, I want to remind you all: questions are welcomed and will be answered, reviews are appreciated and requested, and enjoyment is mandatory! Just kidding on that last one, but I do hope you enjoy._

**May 14, 2280**

**14:30**

**REPCONN Test Sight**

"I'll head down to the basement immediately. We'll figure this out and then I can put a bullet in Bright's radioactive ass."

Ava gave her PipBoy an odd look. Knox seemed more irate than usual. Sure Bright was _really_ obnoxious, but shooting the ghoul seemed excessive. "Don't bother," she radioed back.

"Don't bother shooting him?"

"Don't bother coming down. I'm almost back up to the control center anyway."

To punctuate her statement she rapped her knuckles against the metal door to Bright's hideaway in REPCONN. The door slid open and Chris Haversam waved her in.

"Hurry it up, smoothskin. Don't want any of those lunatics following you up here."

Ava opened her mouth to let loose a scathing reply to the very human Chris, but he held up a rubber gloved hand and quickly said, "Don't bother, human. Go talk to Jason and quit bothering me."

Ava narrowed her eyes, but acquiesced and walked away without a word. It just made her so mad! Bright was using Jason and the poor man refused to accept it. Not that she particularly liked Chris. He was rude, bitter, and weak-willed. But that didn't mean some prophet figure should abuse him to get what he wants! Ava had come to accept a rather fluid definition of right and wrong, but she knew that Bright's actions were wrong, even if they were based in good intentions.

She sighed. Good intentions so often ended up twisted. They'd certainly paved her way to hell and back.

Ava strode down the metal hallway towards the room Bright frequented. It was most likely where Knox was even if the man thought Bright was unbearable. He'd found some way to hate the cult leader more than Ava which was remarkable on its own. She knew Knox had some history with the ghoul. Apparently this wasn't the first time Bright had caused trouble for Novac, but to her eyes it seemed to go beyond that. Knox was uncharacteristically impatient with the ghoul. She'd heard him mutter more than once, "the house won't wait forever."

What that meant or the significance of it was lost on Ava, but it seemed important enough to Knox that he had very realistically considered just leaving the ghouls, Nightkin, and people of Novac to figure everything out themselves.

Bright would deserve it. Manny Vargas would certainly deserve it. However, she was now finding it difficult to think about leaving Davison and his kin stranded in the basement. From what she'd gathered he hadn't exactly chosen his insanity. However, getting him to leave REPCONN was going to be problematic. Especially considering what she had just found out on the terminal Harland was guarding.

Ava spotted Knox leaning against a cabinet and tapping his foot impatiently. It was off-putting to see him so jittery. She had never been one to sit still, but Knox had always remained calm and collected. So seeing him here, itching to do something was just the slightest bit weird. He'd been different almost as soon as they'd gotten back to the Mojave.

And that worried her.

"Knox," she called, getting his attention.

His head snapped up on a swivel and he rose from his position. Before she could say anything, he grabbed her elbow and steered her back into the hallway away from the ghouls.

"Alright," he sighed, "give me the bad news."

"So, Davison is looking for Stealth Boys and-"

"Quick question. Who is Davison?"

"Leader of the Nightkin. That's not important. It's the Stealth Boys! He sent me to go get them. He had an invoice saying that a bunch were sent here to REPCONN. They checked everywhere, but in the room Harland (who's a real asshole by the way) was guarding-"

"So the Nightkin came here for Stealth Boys and they sent you to retrieve them," Knox interrupted.

"That's just it-"

"And they'll leave if we give them the Stealth Boys," Knox concluded, interrupting once more.

"THERE ARE NO STEALTH BOYS!" Ava shouted at him. She pinched her nose in frustration. Whatever it was that was bugging Knox was making working with him very stressful and she didn't handle stress well. Even less so when Knox wouldn't let her get a word in edgewise. "They were sent here by mistake and sent back. Knox, there… there _aren't_ Stealth Boys."

Knox nodded thoughtfully. "I see what you mean by big problem," he said quietly. He cleared his throat and squared his shoulders. "What do you want to do about it?"

Ava looked at him with her mouth open. "What do _I_ want to do about it? I came back up here to ask you! I don't know what to do!"

"Yes, you do," Knox countered. He held up three fingers. "Think it through."

Ava sighed and furrowed her brow. She fell backwards against the wall and slid down it to the floor until her legs were sticking straight out into the passage, making it impossible for anyone to conveniently move about.

"Kill the Nightkin like Bright wants."

Knox put one finger down. Ava violently shook her head at him. That was not going to happen.

"Next?" Knox pressured.

"Kill the ghouls like Manny wants." Knox lowered another finger. Only one remained and for the life of her Ava couldn't figure it out. She looked at him in confusion, silently requesting an explanation.

"We walk away," he said simply.

Ava's mouth fell open again. Sure Knox had been threatening to walk away, but it was all just talk, right? He wouldn't actually do it!

Would he?

"You can't be serious!" she cried, aghast. "After everything you've told me!" Ava got to her feet and jabbed her finger into Knox's chest. "After everything you've shown me. You just want to walk away! What happened to 'doing the right thing'?"

Knox leaned back against the wall and let out a breath he'd been holding in. "Sometimes… sometimes to do the right thing, you've got to walk past some bad things. You can't fix everything."

Ava threw her hands in the air in frustration. "I know! I know I can't fix everything. I tried that once. It didn't go so well for me, but… but…" Ava was struggling to put her angrily swirling thoughts into words. "But you said as long as I do what I can, then that's- that's all that matters."

Knox put a hand on her shoulder. "I did say that. And it's still true. But right now, what I can do, what we can do… it's bigger than this. It's way bigger. And the longer we waste time here, the harder it's going to be for us to fix things later."

Ava took a step back and slid out from under his hand. She looked at him suspiciously. "What are you talking about, Knox?"

Knox crossed his arms and chewed on his cheek. She could tell he was deliberating. "I… can't tell you."

Ava quickly crossed the distance between them and got right in his face. "What do you _mean_? _We don't have secrets_," she hissed threateningly.

Knox tried to shrug it off and nudge her away, but Ava stood her ground. Apparently she was quite serious.

"Ava…" he said slowly.

"We don't! You promised that to me!"

"I know!"

Ava looked shock when Knox snapped at her. She scowled and turned away from him.

"Ava…" Knox said again, but she'd already started to walk away. "Ava! Look I want to tell you, I do," he tried to explain as he followed her down the passageway back to the stairs. "But it's not my place. It's not my secret. It's someone else's."

Ava whirled back around, causing Knox to stumble backwards in surprise. "Whose? Whose secret?"

"Er… client confidentiality?"

Ava shook her head and turned to keep walking. "Don't follow me, Knox! I'm going to go fix this fucking mess! And I'm going to do it _without_ one of your stupid fucking solutions!"

Knox watched her go, nearly knocking Chris Haversam over as she strode out the door of the command center in a determined rage.

"More power to ya, kid," he sighed. "More power to ya."

**14:45**

**REPCONN Test Sight**

**Basement**

"Stupid, Knox… keeping secrets… fucker…" Ava grumbled angrily to herself as she walked quickly down the stairs.

"Client confidentiality my ass!" she spat. Her anger hung about her head in a foul cloud. Knox and his stupid secrets. If he really wanted to tell her, he would! Not hint at it!

Somewhere amidst her rage-filled, mental musings Ava stopped looking where she was stepping and missed a stair. With a strangled cry she fell forward and down the stairs, clanging and clattering the whole way until she rolled onto the landing and smashed her forehead into the railing.

She rolled flat onto her back and gasped out a pained, "ow."

She struggled to sit up, stars winking in her vision. She gingerly touched her forehead. Her glove came away wet with blood. She growled half in frustration and half in pain. As awful as it would be, a conversation with Jason Bright might be in order. As miserable as talking to him was, his ever-present cloud of radiation would be very nice right now.

Ava struggled to her feet and nearly immediately doubled over and puked her breakfast out onto the metal grating. Her vision continued to swim.

"Oh, yep," she moaned, "That's a concussion."

She tried to step forward and instead fell down the last few steps into the hangar. She lay there panting with her eyes closed and her limbs sprawling. She had stimpaks in her bag; her bag which was back at the top of the stairs.

Well, fuck.

The sound of a cloak depowering crackled next to her ear. Large, cloth-wrapped, blue feet materialized on either side of her head.

Double fuck.

"Human," growled the Nightkin in its gravelly voice.

Wonderful, now she was going to be eaten, she thought to herself humorlessly. As she thought it though, her hand was straying towards Perforator. If she blew out the mutant's kneecaps he might not fall on her. "Might" being the keyword.

The mutant knelt down and scooped his large hands under, lifting her like she weighed nothing more than a child. Which she probably seemed like compared to his stature. She remembered Fawkes carrying her like this before.

"Come on, human… Captain Davison has words for you."

Ava leaned her head back into the Nightkin's muscled chest. Just like when Fawkes carried her, she thought again, her concussion addled mind running in circles. She was only vaguely aware of the mutant carrying her back into the basement and to the office Davison had occupied.

"Captain. Reporting as ordered. Mission: completed, with human. Status: hungry, with human."

Ava's eyes widened, the last sentence sinking into her mind. Nope, nope, not getting eaten, thank you very much. Ava struggled to get out of the mutant's arms and after elbowing him in the jaw a few times he seemed to get the message.

He leaned over to set her down and she rolled out of his arms landed on her feet somewhat unsteadily. She looked up at the Nightkin captain, who was giving his soldier a stern look and motioned that he was dismissed. The Nightkin who'd carried her walked out of the room still muttering about being hungry.

"Human," Davison said curtly.

"Davison," Ava replied with a smile before loudly retching all over the floor.

Davison looked at her curiously as Ava moaned piteously, and pulled a chair over for her which she collapsed into gratefully, hanging her head between her legs.

"I had my kin fetch you when it was reported you in command center. You supposed to be getting Stealth Boys for Antler."

Ava snapped her head up and winced in pain at the movement. "I did! I mean, I tried."

Davison chuckled. "Talking to ghoul not work," he snorted.

"No, it didn't," Ava said trying to make a threatening face at the Nightkin, but the mutant just dismissed it. "But I still got into the room. There aren't any Stealth Boys there."

"WHAT!?" roared Davison. "But invoice note said Stealth Boys were here! Why can't that note be true!?"

"Quieter, please," Ava requested her face pained. The mutant's shouting was grating on her addled nerves.

Davison hunched over and repeated in a whisper, "Why can't that note be true?"

"The Stealth Boys were sent here by mistake. They were sent back." Ava held up the return invoice she'd printed off the computer in Harland's room.

Davison shook his massive head in denial until his attention was caught by Antler. "What, Antler? … But human could be lying! Stealing Stealth Boys for itself!" Davison pointed an accusing finger at Ava and pulled his massive sword out.

She slowly started to slide Clarity out of its sheathe in response. She didn't want to kill Davison, but in her state she didn't think she'd be able to run away. But Davison never attacked. Antler intervened.

Davison stomped his foot like a child and slung his great sword again. "Oh, Antler… You trust so easy…" Davison turned to Ava once more. "Your lucky day, human. Antler believe you." He snatched the note from her. "Nightkin will follow the new note to find Stealth Boys. Better be there," he grumbled.

Davison started to walk away from Ava without a second thought. He scooped Antler up from the desk and moved to the door. As he started to cross the threshold, he stopped and held Antler up to his ear.

"Yes, Antler? What? No, no. I ask."

Davison turned back to Ava with his brow raised. "Antler has question, human," he rumbled in his deep voice.

"Yes?" she replied hesitantly.

"How you get note? Talking didn't work and my kin tell me ghoul still alive."

"Oh!" Ava said startled. Well, that was an easy question. She stood up and without a thought of the danger of showing her stealth technology to the disappointed Nightkin, she activated her stealth suit.

After standing in silence for a few moments, she deactivated it and stood smiling in front of the bewildered Nightkin.

"You _do_ have Stealth Boys," the mutant said quietly, his eyes locked on her. Eyes like an addict she recognized. "Give them to me! Give them to Antler!"

Ava stumbled backwards startled. "No, no!" she cried. "I don't have Stealth Boys!"

"You turn invisible! No one can see! You _have_ Stealth Boys," Davison insisted, taking a threatening step towards her.

"I don't. I swear! I… uh… I don't need Stealth Boys?" she explained lamely. Holding her empty hands out to show she didn't have a Stealth Boy.

Davison cast a critical eye over the human standing in front of him. She indeed didn't have a Stealth Boy. "Explain," he commanded.

"Well, it's- it's a suit. I got it from a simulation in China! I mean, after doing a simulation against the Chinese, I mean," she babbled nervously as the mutant towered over her.

Clearly her explanation was not adequate as Davison said, "Do it again." But his voice was no longer harsh. It was more… amazed…

Ava gulped and activated the stealth field. Davison's eyes widened in awe as she reappeared.

"And no… voices?"

"Not anymore," she joked, but upon noticing the confused look on the Nightkin's face, she clarified, "No. No voices."

The mutant's eyes grew even wider. He suddenly dropped to one knee in front of her with a loud thud. "Please! Oh great one! Tell me your name, human."

"Uh, Ava," she said uncertainly as she looked at the top of Davison's head from where he knelt in front of her.

"Lord Ava-"

"Er, Lady," she corrected.

"Lady Ava. You will be my kin's new master!" Davison proclaimed from his knees.

"Okay… wait what!?" Master? Oh no. That was not something she was okay with. "Davison what are you talking about?"

Davison looked up at her. Tears were in his eyes. The eight foot tall, blue, death machine was crying.

"You are symbol to Nightkin everywhere! No voices! You no have voices! That's just… that's really great."

Well, shit. When he put it that way. "I… um… alright then?"

Davison held Antler's Brahmin skull aloft in front of him.

"Lady Ava, bless Antler!"

Ava stared at the skull, unsure of what to do. "Bless it?"

"Yes. Bless Antler," Davison repeated emphatically.

Ava stood unmoving. How do you bless a skull? How do you bless anything? Religion wasn't her thing. "Ummmmm…" Ava murmured before darting over to the desk. She brushed the papers away and tore into the drawers until she found what she was looking for. She stepped back over to Davison and Antler and held a black marker aloft in triumph.

Davison's awestruck eyes followed her hands as she uncapped the marker and wrote a simple "101" across the front of Antler's skull.

Ava stood back, her work done. "There," she said proudly. How was that for her first time blessing something?

Davison looked at the skull reverently as if it was some sort of holy object. "It's beautiful," he said softly before rising back to his full height. "Lady Ava! What is your command?"

Ava looked at him in surprise. "Er- command?"

"Yes. My kin and I are yours to command. What would Ava have us do?"

"I… well… could you get out of the basement?"

Davison bowed deeply to her before straitening and bellowing at the top of his lungs. Ava clamped her hands over her ears until he stopped.

"My kin and I will leave this place!"

And so they did. Ava could hear the Nightkin walking through the halls, their thundering footsteps slowly getting softer and softer.

'Thanks, Davis-" Ava turned to thank the Nightkin commander, but he'd disappeared. The massive mutant had followed his comrades out. "Huh," she said staring at the now empty room, "This has been very weird."

**15:00**

**REPCONN Test Sight**

Knox stood in the hangar waiting for Ava to return from the basement. He knew she'd shouted not to follow her and he hadn't. At least not all the way. But he felt bad about how their conversation had ended. She just didn't get it. And he'd love to explain, but he was under explicit orders not to and that was very infuriating indeed.

Ava was all fire and emotion which when trying to explain to her why he couldn't tell her something made communicating nearly impossible. Oh well. As soon as they reached Vegas he'd be able to clear everything up.

For now he just hoped that she was all right and he'd be able to help her out with her Nightkin problem. Knox could understand why she was hesitant to kill the Nightkin. Their history was almost some sort of cruel parallel to her own. Putting them down wasn't an easy option for her. Hopefully he'd be able to provide some useful information to help her out.

He heard the door to the basement clang open and sure enough Ava stumbled into the hangar. Knox could see her face bruising and she had a large gash on her forehead. Knox caught her as she nearly fell into his arms.

"Holy shit! What the hell happened to you!?"

"Hit my head… on the stairs…" she muttered, gesturing at the stairs behind Knox before pulling herself out of his arms and pushing him away. Knox sighed; apparently she was still mad at him.

"Ava," he started, reaching out to grab her arm until a large, blue mutant appeared between them.

"You do not touch the Lady Ava, human," Davison growled.

Knox looked up at the mutant while slowly reaching for his gun so as not to draw attention to it. Ava quickly stepped in between the two, putting a hand on their chests.

"Whoa, whoa. Stop, stop! Davison! Leave Knox alone. Knox! Get your hand off your gun!"

Knox and Davison continued staring at each other until Davison huffed in irritation and stepped back. Knox looked bewildered, but took his hand off his gun. Davison turned to Ava.

"I will wait with my kin," he said. "You may talk to the human. If you need us to kill it, simply ask."

Ava smiled widely up at him. "That's okay. I don't need you to kill it, I mean him. At least not today."

Davison nodded at her and walked away, disappearing from sight after a few steps. Ava turned to Knox, a self-satisfied smirk on her face.

"Ava… that was… what was that?" he said softly, gesturing after the mutant in disbelief.

Ava shrugged, her smirk never leaving her face. "I'm their queen now," she said as if it was a sufficient explanation.

"You're their… You're fucking amazing," Knox said with an bemused smile flickering on his face.

"I am, aren't I?" Ava said as she brushed past him. Not mad enough to let a mutant throttle him, but still mad nonetheless.

"I'm sorry."

Ava turned around slowly, her smile widening. "What was that, Knox?"

"I'm sorry," he repeated. "I don't like keeping things from you." Ava snorted dismissively and went to turn away, but Knox quickly said, "Hey! Hey, please. Hear me out. I _want_ to tell you. I want to so bad. I want to tell you everything. And I will. Just not yet. It's not up to me. I'm sorry, but that's the way it is."

Ava frowned, clearly displeased with Knox, but she appeared to be struggling with accepting his apology or not.

"I've got something else I can tell you though," Knox baited her. Ava's eyes flicked to his face, intrigued.

"What?"

"Your Nightkin pals? How would you like to get them some help?"

Ava cocked her head the side, fully curious. "What do you mean help?"

Knox grabbed her hand and pulled her along towards the entrance of the REPCONN facility. "There's a ski lodge up in the mountains," he explained. "It's become a super mutant refuge. There's a doctor there who specializes in neuroscience. He's been researching a cure for the Nightkin. You want to help them? Send them to Jacobstown."

Knox pushed open the door to the Mojave, both he and Ava flinched away from the bright light and dry heat, but stepped out of the cool shade anyway. They looked around, but saw no mutants.

"Davison," asked Ava to the empty air. She looked around.

Nothing.

"DAVISON," she shouted, her hands cupped around her mouth.

A resounding crackle of hundreds of Stealth Boys deactivating answered her call. Knox and Ava looked around in shock as the Nightkin horde decloaked. The entire building was surrounded by the mob of blue, super mutants. Davison stood a head taller in the pack and held Antler aloft, showing its new "101".

"THE LADY AVA!" he roared. His cry was picked up by the rest of his kin and soon the entire horde was chanting her name.

Ava looked at Knox with her mouth open, but he was equally shocked with his jaw just as slack. Davison strode towards Ava, the rest of the Nightkin parting before him. He glared at Knox briefly before saluting Ava.

"Lady Ava."

"Hi, Davison," she said quietly, still awed by the sheer size of the Nightkin horde. She cleared her throat. "Er, um, Davison," she said as authoritatively as possible.

Knox chuckled next to her at her effort, but she quickly shushed him.

"Davison, do you know where Jacobstown is?"

Davison nodded. "Other Nightkin are there. Safe place for mutants."

"I want you and your kin to go there. Wait for me, I'll follow you as soon as I can," she commanded before adding, "Is that okay?"

Davison saluted again. "As the Lady Ava commands!" He turned on his heel and bellowed at his kin. Moving as one the Nightkin saluted and activated their cloaks, disappearing as quickly as they'd appeared.

Knox and Ava stood quietly next to each other staring out into the empty desert, but neither could find hide nor hair of the Nightkin horde. Not a shimmer of light or a cloud of dust. The mutants were gone.

Knox nudged Ava with his elbow. "So, you weren't kidding about being their queen."

Ava grinned wickedly at him.

"I'm fucking royalty now."

_Hope you all liked it! I've been dying to do the "Lady Ava" since before Ava made it to Tenpenny Tower. It's been a long time coming. I hope the more I talk about it, the more you all realize that I've got plans for the Nightkin. However, I hope I don't disappoint seeing as a huge chunk of those plans have to do with stupid oneliners and jokes. Oh well. If you've got thoughts, comments, suggestions, or professions of undying love feel free to leave a review! See you next time, audience._


	4. Giving Up

_Two things:_

_I've forgotten to address this since chapter 1. A long time ago I talked about art for this story. That's quite hard for me to do regularly. That being said, I did draw a cover specifically for this story that is of Knox and Ava. Thought I'd let you all know._

_Special shotu out to atromancy for writing probably my favorite review of all time. Thank you everyone for reviewing, but atromancy, that review made me smile all damned day._

**May 16, 2280**

**19:00**

**REPCONN Test Sight**

Chris Haversam was not a runner.

He was a man of science. He found other people to do the running. He had them go and fetch whatever he needed and then he'd use his big, overdeveloped brain to solve problems beyond most normal Wastelanders' comprehension.

The girl chasing him down REPCONN's cramped, decrepit corridors was most assuredly not a normal Wastelander.

Ava tore down the hallway in hot pursuit of Chris. The overweight scientist was struggling to keep ahead of her and she could hear him wheezing uncontrollably as he sprinted faster than he had in a long time in a futile attempt to get away.

Chris slid around another corner and bolted through a door. He stopped long enough to palm the door control and lock it down. Ava slammed into the closed door with an angry shout.

"HAVERSAM! GET BACK HERE!"

Ava fumbled with her knife, Stab-happy, to pry the door control panel away from the wall and expose the wires beneath it.

"Oh, no you don't," she muttered under her breath as she hooked her PipBoy up to the door and began to work her way through its protocols. Hacking a door wouldn't take long, but she had to get after Chris before he got to the rockets.

With a click and a whoosh the door slid back open and Ava continued the chase. Despite the delay, Chris was not much farther ahead of her than he was before he'd locked the door. In fact he seemed to be slowing down.

"Chris! Stop!" Ava commanded, drawing her dart gun and training it in the center of Chris's lab coat.

Chris stumbled to a halt and rested, gasping for air, one hand clutching at his chest. He gave a mighty cough in an attempt to clear his throat and turned around. He leaned against the wall and glared at Ava resentfully.

"Running was not… smart," Ava huffed, catching her breath too. She'd started running back at Clark Field just outside of Novac. At the time she'd been one of the people Chris would send out to fetch something. Right up until she'd figured out what was being fetched.

Chris had given Ava and Knox a shopping list to get the Bright Brotherhood's rockets off the ground. He'd initially been upset with Jason that he had to continue working with the "smoothskins" especially seeing as Ava hadn't stopped trying to convince him that he was human.

Yet her cries had fallen on deaf ears. Ava had even asked Knox to give it a try. The Courier had seemed ambivalent to Chris's delusion, but he'd had a quiet word with Chris too. Knox hadn't had any luck either. Instead Chris banished them off into the Wasteland to find a bunch of obscure parts to finalize the rockets.

It was between arguing with Old Lady Gibson about thrust control modules and skirting radioactive pits searching for a radioactive isotope that it occurred to Ava why Chris would have Knox out searching for Sugar Bombs.

And thus Ava had started running back to REPCONN.

"I've… been sprinting… for an hour… You running away was not nice," she said as calmly as she could taking a step closer to Chris.

Chris harrumphed before launching into another coughing fit. Ava gave him a moment to regain his composure. He wiped a hand across the back of his mouth and straightened his tie before glaring at her again.

"You just had to figure it all out didn't you, you stup-"

Ava made an irritated noise and cut him off. "I'm just going to assume you were going to say 'stupendously wonderful girl'. Because my tolerance for people calling me stupid is rather low."

She shook some loose hair out of her face and Chris's eyes locked on the barrel of the dart gun as it dipped with the motion, but his eyes fell as it just as quickly returned to being trained on him. He started to as slowly as possible straighten up and slide to a control panel on the wall.

"I've actually had a fairly impressive education," Ava continued, seemingly oblivious to the doctor's movements.

This comment caused Chris to snort in contempt. He strongly doubted that the mercenary he'd been ordering around was educated. Ava narrowed her eyes at him.

"Hey. I figured out your plan, didn't I? Sugar Bombs are too unstable to be used for a rocket's fuel. Unless of course that _is_ your plan and you're trying to make it unstable."

Chris didn't acknowledge this, but continued to as stealthily as possible move for the control panel. The dart gun's slide twanged and a dart buried itself in the wall next to Chris. He jumped away from it with a cry of alarm and fell to the ground in a tangle of limbs and lab coat.

"Sorry. You looked all distracted by that control panel on the wall. Next shot goes to your crotch, and you do _not_ want to know what Radscorpion venom does to the genitalia," Ava cautioned him. She slid another dart home into her gun and aimed it between his legs. Chris swallowed nervously and shook his head.

"Why are you trying to sabotage the rockets, Chris?" Ava asked, all kidding put aside.

Chris snorted again. "Why? WHY!?" he shouted. "Bright used me! That's all people ever do! Use poor Chris for their own goddamned gain! I've had enough, I tell you! NO MORE!" he ranted from his position on the floor.

Ava rolled her eyes and fired another shot from the dart gun. This one buried itself in the floor between Chris's legs.

"Oops," she said as Chris clammed up again, "Did I step on your speech? My bad." She reloaded again. "But seriously? Stop being such a dick! You're trying to kill them all? That's wrong!"

Chris pushed himself to his feet and gave a bitter laugh. "Oh, that's rich. What do you know?"

Ava crossed the remaining distance between them and screwed the dart gun into Chris's jugular.

"About killing? Quite a lot actually. Consider me an expert. Or did you mean right and wrong? I'll admit to not being entirely proficient in that area, but I can tell you this. What you are doing is wrong!"

Chris refused to listen. He stepped back and turned his back on her, throwing his hands into the air in anger. "They brought me in, pretended to like me!" He whirled back on her and pointed a gloved finger at her. "And then they just use, use, used me! Do you know what that's like?"

"More than you'll ever know," Ava said quietly. "Believe me though. Killing them is not the solution you're looking for. At least not this time. Sure, Bright is an asshole. Let him go be an asshole in outer space!"

"NO!" Chris suddenly shouted. "No," he repeated somewhat more calmly. "Bright doesn't get to have his future. Not anymore, not after what he did to me."

"What he did to you!?" Ava shouted in exasperation. "_You_ are the one who found him. _You_ are the one who wouldn't listen to anyone. _You_ are the one who refused to accept that everything wasn't perfect for you! And now you're going to try to wipe all that away by blowing it all up."

Chris glared at her coldly for a few moments, processing all the blame she was laying at his feet. Ava supposed it wasn't entirely fair to put it all on Chris, but damn it she was tired of his whining.

Not that she'd never bitched and moaned about her lot in life. No, that had _never_ happened before.

"Yes. That's exactly what I'm going to do," Chris said, his voice low with barely restrained rage. "And I had no intention of dragging you down with the ship, but…"

Ava nearly laughed, but realization dawned on her. All the times Chris had fallen, or stumbled, or made a grand gesture and now…

Now he was standing right next to the control panel he'd been trying to reach. Chris smiled frigidly at her before slamming an elbow into the primary control button. The results were instantaneous. The lights dimmed and were replaced by a blinking, red, panic light. An alarm siren began howling deafeningly.

Ava was suddenly propelled forward by a heavy blow to the back, she dropped her dart gun to the floor and slammed into a wall. Groaning heavily she pushed herself up and saw a sentry bot rolling towards her menacingly. Behind it, Chris Haversam was running as fast as his pudgy legs could carry him down the hallway and away from Ava.

"Chris!"

Ava rolled to her feet and made to go after him, but the sentry started whirring up its minigun. Ava dove to the side as the 5mm stream of bullets erupted from the sentry's arm. She sprang off her hands back into the air and activated her cloak before the sentry could gain a bead on her. Landing softly on her heels she backed up as the sentry began to advance down the hallway.

The machine was too damned big for her to sneak past it and finding another route after Chris would take too damned long. That left-

Her thought was interrupted as the sentry rolled forward again, one of its massive wheels going right over her fallen dart gun. The scrapped together weapon splintered under its massive weight.

Ava threw herself forward recklessly, screaming at the top of her lungs in rage. Her cloak flickered in an effort to keep up with her erratic movements, but failed as she spun around, drawing Clarity in one fluid movement and slicing upwards into the sentry bot's arm, severing its ammo belt. Loose bullets rained to the floor as the machine's weapon clacked fruitlessly.

"YOU BROKE MY GUN!"

Ava lunged upwards onto the bot's shoulders and flipped Clarity around in her arms until its point was just touching the bot's neck. She threw her weight down and drove her sword into the inner workings of the machine. Sparks and oil shot out from between the sentry bot's armor and covered Ava in black grease.

The machine's hydraulics shuttered and gave out, and it fell forward onto the ground. Ava collapsed on top of it before rolling off next to the remains of her dart gun. She picked up a splintered piece of it in one hand. Her fingers curled around it tightly into a fist.

She was going to hurt Chris Haversam. Badly.

**Launch Pad Control Center**

**19:10**

Knox sighed with irritation. Chris Haversam had rushed up to him and was acting even more neurotic than usual. Knox's tolerance for insanity was almost entirely consumed by Ava on a daily basis, so anyone else looking for patience from him was out of luck.

He'd deposited his cargo for Chris and the man had gasped in relief before hurrying away to do god knows what with the prewar breakfast cereal. Chris had practically snatched the boxes out of Knox's hands and basically ignored the Courier's existence. He merely muttered something about, "needing to hurry," and disappeared. Whatever.

Knox shook his head at the retreating scientist before deciding to go find something else to occupy his time until Bright and his Brotherhood were gone.

He took a step back out the door and turned in time to get bowled over by Ava. The two collided in a resounding crash of armor and curse words. They toppled over, tangled in each other's limbs, into a rickety shelf causing it to collapse down on top of them.

Knox pushed the metal shelving off of them as Ava kneeled on his chest trying to get to her feet as fast as possible. Knox groaned as the reinforced knee pads of her stealth suit drove into his sides.

"Get off me, you psycho," he mumbled as he shoved her off. Ava toppled over with another bang. Knox got to his feet and kicked an empty bucket at his downed partner. "The hell are you doing running around like that?"

"I'm- I- Where's… Haversam!" Ava shot to her feet, various debris falling off of her. "Haversam! Where is he!?" she shouted, grabbing Knox by the lapels of his shirt.

"What? Why?"

"I'm going to kill him!" she roared before releasing him, her head swiveling, trying to find some trace of the scientist.

Knox grabbed her shoulder and spun her around to face him again. "May I ask why?"

Ava looked at him, her eyes wild and scattered. "What? He broke my dart- I mean… He's trying to kill Bright!"

Knox stared at her silently for a few moments before replying, "So?"

"Knox! He's going to kill everyone! All of them. He's trying to blow up the rockets!"

"WHAT!?"

Knox's eyebrows shot up under the brim of his hat in surprise. "He's going to do what? How!?"

Ava made a move to grab Knox's satchel, but he sidestepped out of her grasp. She frowned at him. "Did you give him the Sugar Bombs?" she asked urgently.

"I- Yeah? He just took them that way, I think-"

Ava cut him off as she pushed past him, knocking him back into the destroyed shelf again, without a word. He stumbled back unable to stop her as she disappeared down the hallway Chris had just retreated down.

"Ava! Wait! Where are you- aggghhh! Damn it."

Knox shook his head as she vanished around the corner at a full sprint. Knox kicked the last of the shelving off of himself and gave pursuit. Knox was by no means an athletic slouch, but it quickly dawned on him that catching up to Ava wasn't going to happen. At first he was only catching a glimpse of red hair as she disappeared around each corner, but soon enough he couldn't even hear her footsteps. Clearly this was not the best way to go about this.

Knox stopped to catch his breath, planting his hands and his knees and giving a few heaving breaths.

"This… is not… working…"

Knox pursed his lips. He had to get ahead of them. He had to get to Haversam before Ava did. However, that would require him to have a working understanding of the REPCONN facility and it had been Ava tromping around through it while he dealt with Bright.

Perhaps a different approach was in order. Ava and Haversam were headed deeper into the facility to reach the rockets so Chris could sabotage them. The launch pad was quite large. A higher viewpoint might work; a viewpoint just like the window in the launch pad control center.

Exactly where he had just come from.

Wonderful.

**Launch Pad**

**19:15**

"CHRIS!" Ava roared as she slid around the corner to see Chris donning a radiation suit in front of the door to the launch pad. Ava could see the rockets behind him through the door's window.

Chris looked up in panic and wildly swung a plasma defender in her direction. The gun spewed molten, green globs of plasma at her. She dropped to the ground into a sitting position as the plasma impacted directly above her. Melted metal droplets rained down upon her.

"Stay back," Chris warned. "Don't come any closer, smooth-… Don't come any closer," he corrected himself. Chris struggled to pull the suit on one handed while keeping the energy weapon trained on her.

"Chris, you don't have to do this. You _shouldn't_ do this," Ava clarified. She met Chris eyes, trying to remember how to empathize with another human being. "It's not worth it. Revenge never is."

Chris finished pulling the suit on. "They've used me, made a mockery of me, and I won't let them get away with it."

Ava shook her head in a mixture of disappointment and frustration. "Bright wasn't the human who thought he was a ghoul. You've got that one all by yourself."

A vein bulged in Chris's forehead. "How- how dare you!? They took advantage of me," he said indignantly.

"Because you deluded yourself, it's their fault for accepting you? That's Brahmin shit!"

Chris brandished the plasma defender at her wildly. "You listen to me-"

"No, you listen to me!" Ava sprang to her feet and stomped over to him. Chris's eyes widened as she approached undaunted by his armament.

"They took you in. Gave you a home when you were too damn weak to make it on your own! So yeah, Bright's a dick because his plan is to leave you, but what sort of conversation was it going to be when he brought that up with you? Huh? This isn't all just on Bright!"

Chris looked shaken. "I… I don't…"

"Yeah, you don't." Ava snatched the gun out of his hands and threw it to the side. "Now give me the fucking Sugar Bombs," she commanded.

With a trembling hand, Chris slowly held out the cereal to her. Ava reached forward to accept it.

She heard the glass in the door crack and spray out behind Chris, followed by Chris's head exploding in a pulpy mess. Brain and blood sprayed across Ava's shocked face.

The corpse of Chris Haversam fell forward and met the floor with a meaty thud. Ava staggered back, her eyes wide. She fell backwards onto her butt, never looking away from the body. Slowly she edged towards the wall away from the rapidly expanding pool of blood.

**Launch Pad**

**19:45**

"Ava, you down here? Oh! There you are… whatcha doing on the floor?"

Knox looked down at Ava where she was still seated. She had managed to slide herself over to the wall and she was sitting cross-legged, her chin resting in her hand. She was staring at Chris's ruined corpse.

"He gave up," she said emotionlessly.

Knox sighed. "Yeah… the Wasteland does that to people. Some just can't handle it."

"No. He _gave_ up. He gave me the Sugar Bombs. He gave up."

Knox inhaled sharply. "Shit… you're serious?"

Ava nodded silently.

Knox threw his head back. "Ah, fuck."

"Yep."

"Look, I couldn't see. The shot was hard enough as it was… Er that came out wrong. What I mean is-"

"I know, Knox," Ava cut him off. She held a hand out for Knox to help her up. He pulled her to her feet and she stepped past him. "I'm gonna go clean up. I've got Chris in my hair."

Knox looked like he was going to say something, but his mouth hung open silently, no words came out. He watched Ava go and sighed again, before turning around and kneeling next to Chris's body.

He was silent for a few moments longer before he began speaking softly.

"You nearly put me in a very difficult position there, Chris. After our little conversation I thought maybe you'd go put a bullet in the back of Bright's glowing head, but you had to go and try to blow everyone up and that's just no good."

Knox shook his head and straightened up. Knox was gifted at making people dance like his marionettes, but Chris Haversam had exceeded all expectations by thinking for himself. In a decidedly negative fashion of course, but still.

"House wanted Bright dead, but now I'm not sure I'll be able to pull that off anymore, thanks to you. When I met you I thought you were a prick. Now you're the prick who got me in trouble with the boss man. Congratulations."

Eulogy finished, Knox tugged his hat down in "respect" and walked away.

_I'll admit this chapter caused me great consternation and may give me some issues down the line. Oh well. Anyways… next chapter. We. Are. In. NEW VEGAS! Like the story? Leave a favorite! Want to know when the next chapter is uploaded? Give it a favorite! Have a recommendation or something you just have to let me know? Drop a review! See you then!_


	5. Law and Order and Anarchy

_Okay. Maybe I was a little overzealous with saying we'd be in New Vegas this chapter. Almost, almost. No real news just the usual pleas for reviews. Not just for me (though I do love and cherish them), but for other readers as well. Reviews give people cause to read this here story. So please, leave us a review._

**May 28, 2280**

**12:30**

**Freeside**

For what seemed like the umpteenth time Knox quickly glanced over his shoulder to see a quietly fuming Ava. Each time he looked she met his eyes and her glowering frown deepened. This had been going on since they'd first walked into Freeside.

Knox sighed irritably out through his nose and stopped walking. As expected Ava bumped into his back with a curse. Knox turned around feigning surprise as Ava looked up at him, ruefully rubbing her nose after walking face first into his back plate.

"What the fuck!?" she asked angrily.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Knox said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "I was just trying to see if you could still talk."

"I-" Ava started before clamping her jaw shut and crossing her arms across her chest, daring Knox to try to get another word out of her.

Knox stared at her in disbelief. He dragged a hand down his face, making a noise that was half groan, half chuckle. "Are you _serious_? You're giving me the silent treatment because I didn't let you kill some guy?"

Ava looked indignant, but stayed silent. "Oh, right. You weren't going to kill him, just throttle him until he couldn't walk, I remember now," Knox corrected himself, rolling his eyes. He turned and started walking, motioning for a very irritated Ava to follow him.

Shortly upon entering Freeside, Ava and Knox had been besieged by the shouts and calls of the various bodyguards stationed at the entrance. They were all selling their protection through Freeside and in the Strip. Knox simply kept his eyes forward and started to push through the throng, but Ava, unused to being besieged by so many people trying to sell her something, froze up.

It wasn't until she fixated on one guard in a leather jacket and grabbed his arm that the rest reluctantly backed off. She'd only turned to that one in particular because in her moment of panic he'd reminded her of Butch. The guard was a young guy with perfectly coifed black hair, and a leather jacket and blue jeans. A look very reminiscent of her old friend. She pulled him off to the side to escape any lingering salespeople.

"Er… sorry about that, I kind of panicked," she apologized to him after dusting her grimy hand prints off his jacket. She started to step away after Knox, but the guy caught by the elbow and reined her back in before she could escape.

"Hey, hey, doll-face! Your heels on fire? Where you off to?"

The man's voice was smooth and easy, but Ava could tell he was purposefully affecting some sort of accent. She wasn't quite sure what accent it was supposed to be though.

"I'm going to the Strip," she answered without thinking before mentally cursing. Telling someone where she was going was a great way to get ambushed later.

"Well, if you're going to the Strip, baby-doll, than you need some protection. The Kings offer that sort of gig."

Ava chuckled before shaking her head and patting Clarity's hilt. "I think I'm good, thanks."

The King (whatever that meant) shrugged, but didn't release her arm. "Righto, dolly. Just saying Freeside can get rough."

"I think I can handle it, King," Ava replied skeptically.

He raised his hands up in surrender. "Whatever you say, doll. No need to go insulting me."

"I- er… what?" Ava asked quite confused.

"I know I'm on body guard duty. I know that isn't the most ritzy gig. Don't need to give me the royal shaft by ribbing me though."

"I don't know what you mean."

"Yeah, whatever, doll," the man said shaking his head.

"No, seriously. I have no idea what anything you just said means."

It was the King's turn to stare at her quizzically. "Uh, you don't?" Ava shook her head. Suddenly all smiles again, the man cozied up next to her. "It's all right, doll. Let me lay it out for you. I might be part of the Kings, but I'm not _the King_, ya dig? You calling me King, I thought you were shooting me down for the protection gig."

Ava's eyebrows shot up. "Oh, I was, don't mistake that, I just didn't mean to call you King."

The man's shoulders sagged again and his confidence deflated. "Alrighty, babe. Alright. Message received. You gotta split."

Ava opened her mouth to protest again, she didn't mean to hurt his feelings, but Knox's gloved hand appeared on her shoulder. Apparently he was tired of waiting.

The King's (but not _the King's)_ eyes widened. "Hey man, didn't know she was circled. Especially to… uh… one of House's."

"Circled, what?" Ava asked again in utter confusion. The guy spoke like an old holovid and it was making her head hurt.

"You're with him," the guy said pointing at Knox. Knox snorted quietly and Ava straight up laughed.

"With him!? Are you kidding me? Fuck no." she exclaimed throughout loud peals of laughter.

"You're going to hurt my feelings," Knox said before tapping his watch, again signaling Ava to wrap it up.

Ava wiped a tear from her eye and she grinned at the guard. "Thanks for all of your help, but I've got to go."

She turned to walk away as the King spouted another dated phrase in goodbye. She started to roll her eyes at it, but her face froze in shock as someone's fingers pinched her ass. Someone who had just said goodbye to her.

The King didn't even have time to react before Ava drove her elbow into his face without looking. She whirled around leaping into the air, fingers already trying to encircle his throat, but she was caught and yanked back as Knox wrapped his long arms around her waist.

He pulled her back, yelling in her ear, "You can't flirt with a guy and then try to kill him!"

"I wasn't flirting! Now let me go so I can break his legs!"

Knox kept her struggling body locked against his chest, her legs fruitlessly swinging in the air. He hissed in her ear, "Look around. Lover boy has backup."

Despite the sudden fire in her veins, Ava managed to cast an eye around and to her dismay Knox was right. There were several other men all wearing the same jackets as the man she'd just elbowed in the face. That didn't stop her from trying to start a fight with all of them.

However, Knox grabbing her by the color and dragging her away did.

So she'd as immaturely as possible tried to give him the silent treatment. However, Knox had a way of wheedling words out of her.

"He grabbed my ass," she muttered darkly. Not letting Knox get the last word.

"He's a King! They're…" Knox paused trying to think of the right word.

"Womanizers?" suggested Ava.

Knox crooked his mouth in a thoughtful expression. "I was going to say incorrigible, but yours is much better."

"Like what's up with them anyway," Ava asked, all thoughts of a cold shoulder forgotten.

Knox briefly considered giving her grief for giving up so easily, but decided it wasn't worth it. "Well, depending on whom you ask you're going to get very different answers."

"Like?"

Knox nodded to a water pump flanked by two Kings. A long line a scraggly Freesiders were lined up with empty containers. "If you ask most people in Freeside, they're the ones who control the water. However, if you ask others," Knox pointed to two Kings throwing a drunken man into the street, much to the delight of the woman whose house he had been trying to break into, "the Kings are the law and order here."

"Great job they're doing. This place sucks," Ava grumbled under her breath. "I hope New Vegas isn't this shitty."

Knox acted mock wounded and clutched a hand to his chest. "Insult me all you want, but don't insult Vegas. I'll admit though, Freeside is struggling. They won't accept any help from New Vegas."

"Why not?"

"Because accepting aid would be accepting the New Vegas government. The Kings stand for freedom and personal liberty. Do what you want as long as it doesn't stop someone else from doing so."

"And people just trash everything?" Ava asked, looking around with new eyes.

"Pretty much. All the businesses are entirely self-serving. Bars mostly. One mercantile shop. Oh and a weapons dealer trying to escape the scrutiny of those in charge of Vegas."

Knox grinned as if that particular idea was ludicrous.

"There's no one here trying to even help anyone?"

Knox held a hand up to stop the rant he sensed coming from Ava. "I didn't say that. The Kings definitely keep the peace and keep people in line. Without them anarchy would rein. There are also the Followers of the Apocalypse. They do humanitarian work. Medical aid, food drives, that sort of thing. Problem is it's just not enough."

"You think it would be better if Freeside was part of New Vegas?"

Knox looked over at Ava who was carefully looking up at him. She was schooling her facial expressions to make it seem like an innocent question, but she didn't fool Knox. Ava was extremely perceptive sometimes.

"That I do."

The two of them kept walking through Freeside in silence for a few minutes. The monotony was only broken by a man rushing them with a pool cue. He dropped it and ran the other way when he was suddenly confronted by several guns pointing his way.

"So if the Kings are the police here, they suck at it," Ava said, watching the mugger flee.

Knox shrugged. "People are hungry. Hungry people do desperate things. And police probably isn't the right word. It's not quite that official."

"So they're a gang?" Ava guessed.

"If you ask the NCR? Definitely. But no, not quite. More of a cult, really."

Ava frowned and scratched the scar on the side of her head she'd received from the punga cult of Point Lookout. "I don't like cults."

"How about pseudo-religious organization then? I suppose that's more accurate," Knox supplied. "They base their entire lives around a legendary historical figure they see as the pinnacle of masculinity."

"Oh, yeah. Cause that's not like a cult at all," Ava scoffed.

Knox elbowed her in the ribs gently and pointed to a purple-neon covered building with a bunch of Kings clustered around it. "There's their cathedral. You sure you don't want to go chat with them? You seemed to like talking to the one."

"Until he sexually violated me."

"You are testy today, aren't you? But I suppose I see your point. I don't particularly like being harangued and fondled either," he conceded.

Ava stopped and crossed her arms, giving him a look that clearly stated her disbelief. "When have you been harangued and fondled?"

Knox grinned widely at her. "Hungry? Thristy? Horny? Come to the Atomic Wrangler," Knox said in a high pitched voice mimicking the criers across the street. "I'll take you there sometime," he promised.

"I'm going to hold you to that. The thought of seeing you accosted is very funny to me."

"I'm sure it is."

Knox and Ava were about to keep walking, but suddenly found themselves facing a sea of angry Kings all stomping towards them. First just one stepped off the wall he'd been nonchalantly leaning on. Then another and then the whole pack started marching towards them.

"Uh, Knox," Ava said uncertainly, unsure if fighting was now an appropriate way to proceed. "Punch, shoot, or run?"

Knox grabbed her arm and pulled her back away from the Kings. "None of the above. I'm fairly certain they're not going to harm us."

"And why is that?"

"Because there's a mob behind us."

Ava whipped her head around as Knox yanked her out of the potential crossfire. Sure enough there was a large group of people storming towards the King's hangout. For the most part the people didn't seem as haggard or dirty as the Freesiders she'd seen up until this point. Many actually looked well fed.

"NCR," whispered Knox in her ear as they backed up away from the brewing confrontation.

As soon as he mentioned it Ava started to see the signs. A great many matching crew cuts, dog tags, and parts of uniforms signaled that many of the members of the mob were soldiers. Or at the very least citizens of the NCR. Knox had never spoken fondly about the New California Republic, but he didn't outright hate them. He described them as a bureaucratic nightmare with delusions of greatness. Too many people with not enough brain power running it. Knox's words not hers. She could see why.

"You flat tops need to cut out. This is the King's turf. NCR can beat it," one of the Kings yelled.

"No two-bit gangster tells me what to do!" one of the NCR yelled back.

And then it all went to hell. Someone threw a bottle or a brick, who knows what really, but the same results were achieved. The two sides rushed each other in a tide of flesh and fists and curses.

"Knox! We have to do something!" shouted Ava.

"Fuck that." Knox shook his head no.

"What!?"

Knox pointed one finger at the riot. "I'm not getting in the middle of that. And besides… what the hell am I supposed to do about it?"

Ava stomped her foot and glared between Knox and the violence. "We- we have to… fight or something!"

"No we don't," Knox said simply. "Let them slug it out. Get the tensions out."

"You really think that will fix this?" Ava asked doubtfully.

Knox shrugged and scratched his chin. "Probably not, but until I can think of a better solution I'm perfectly content to let this happen."

"But they'll kill each other," Ava protested.

Knox shook his head in exasperation. He grabbed her chin and forced her to look at the brawl. "Do you see guns? Knives? A piece of two-by-four with nails in it? No. You don't. Because they're not trying to kill each other. This is just testing the water. A battle before the war."

Ava breathed out heavily, drumming her fingers on the pommel of her sword. "Okay, you lost me with all that shit at the end." She looked him in the eye. "I don't care though. I'm stopping this. Riots aren't conducive to anything. Here."

Ava thrust Perforator into Knox's arms, followed quickly by Clarity and Stab-happy. "No weapons? No problem."

To Knox's amazement, Ava cracked her knuckles and her neck before striding towards the fray.

"She can't be serious," Knox muttered to himself. But she was.

Ava dove headfirst into it, tackling an NCR soldier around the waist and taking him to the ground before rolling off him and sucker punching another NCR citizen in the back of the head. The King that he'd been holding started to thank her before he too caught a fist to the face. Ava was indiscriminately hitting anyone who stepped in front of her. Or behind her. Or anywhere near her actually.

"Who are you fighting?" Knox yelled at her.

She glanced at him in irritation at being disturbed and yelled back, "EVERYONE!"

And sure enough she was. No Kings and no NCR were safe. In a moment of surprising unity a King grabbed her around the waist, locking her arms to her sides, while an NCR settler tried to wind up and hit her in the face. Ava instead kicked him in the chest, propelling the King holding her to the ground.

"She looks like she's having fun," a woman's voice said next to Knox's side.

"Yeah. Un-fucking-believable," he absentmindedly replied.

"Though I will admit that I'm a little miffed you replaced me with her as person who does the punching."

"She's more of a cutting and stabbing, actually," Knox started to argue before his head jerked to the side to look at the woman standing next to him. "Veronica!?"

The brown-robed woman smiled up at him from under her hood and shoved her pack into his arms alongside Ava's weaponry. "Hiya, Knox," she chirped brightly. "Hold this, would ya?" She started walking towards Ava and the fray, stretching her arms as she went.

"Please don't make this worse!"

Veronica looked back at the Courier over her shoulder with a grin on her face. "Me? Perish the thought."

Just like Ava before her, Veronica strode into the fight, completely unconcerned with the madness surrounding her. And just like Ava before her, Veronica began disposing of rioters on either sides. However, unlike Ava, Veronica had not disarmed and her power fist was sending people flying into the air wildly. Bodies flew left and right as she dipped and jabbed, her power fist humming menacingly with every strike.

On the far side of the mob Ava had her arm wrapped around one man's throat, using him as a meat shield, while nimbly kicking anyone in the head who thought to try and approach her unguarded side. One industrious NCR man knocked her shield unconscious, forcing her to drop the dead weight. He was promptly headbutted, not once, but three times until he too dropped like deadweight. Ava rubbed blood off her forehead and grinned savagely.

Watching all this unfold, Knox swallowed, immensely terrified of the two women taking on an entire mob.

The two of them were almost back to back now, the last members of the riot attempting to surround them. To no avail.

They were soon dispatched just as easily as their brethren. The Kings turned tail and locked themselves inside their base. The NCR citizens sprinted away back down the alleys and streets they'd assembled from. Only a few soldiers remained, unwilling to flee.

Veronica dropped one with a well-placed kick to the private's privates and then conked him over the head with her steel wrapped fist. Ava felled another with a spinning kick to the face, her heel leaving a massive mark on the man's face.

Both women stood with their backs to each other, smiling at their handiwork. Almost in unison they put their hands on their hips and laughed. Both stiffened at hearing the laughter and whipped around in alarm, arms extended in punches.

Knox winced at the sounds of bones breaking as Ava met Veronica punch for punch, fist to power fist. Ava jumped back cursing and cradling her hand in pain as Veronica covered her mouth in apologetic shock.

"Ow, goddamn it! Owowowowow OW!"

"Oh! I am so, soooo sorry! I didn't mean to! I swear!"

Ava, not knowing who Veronica's apologies were sincere, responded the same way she usually did to people punching her. By hitting back harder. She shot a leg up in an attempt to kick Veronica in her chin. Veronica's eyes widened, but she didn't have enough time to dodge. The kick never connected.

Ava jerked back in surprise as her heel was caught by Knox. "That's enough of that," he said before lifting her leg up higher, causing her to overbalance and fall flat on her back.

"Knox! What are you doing?" exclaimed Veronica. "She's hurt!"

Knox snorted. "Yeah, right." He stepped over the downed Ava and went to pick up his and Ava's belongings and continued towards the Strip. "She'll be fine, Veronica."

Veronica stuck her tongue out at his retreating back and extended a hand to Ava. "I really am sorry about the hand. I'm Veronica."

With her uninjured hand Ava clasped wrists with Veronica and was hauled to her feet. "Ava."

"Knox and I know a doctor, we can totally get that hand looked at."

"No, no, it's fine," Ava assured her. "Knox is right. I'll be fine. He's just such a-"

"Irritating, big-mouthed jerk? Human sized piece of Brahmin feces? All together miserable person?"

Ava smiled. "I was going to say 'fucker', but yeah. All those too."

Veronica swung an arm over Ava's shoulders and started steering her after Knox. She held a hand out in front of them dramatically. "'Fucker'… short, succinct, but oh so eloquent and perfectly descriptive. I love your diction."

Ava just continued to smile, and was immensely thankful that the fine coating of dust she regularly wore was hiding the blush spreading across her cheeks. She felt the heat rush across her face and the throbbing in her hand grew faster as her heartbeat sped up as she was held tightly to Veronica's side. Oblivious to the effect she was having, Veronica continued to blather on next to her, her arm never leaving its place around Ava's shoulders.

"Knox! We've decided you're a complete fucker!"

"No one asked you, Veronica!"

_Next chapter! New Vegas for real! Also how do you guys think I did for writing Veronica? She was originally not in this chapter or any of like the next six. But halfway through writing this I was all like "oh man idea-gasm!" and then boom, Veronica happened. Anyway reviews and favorites are hugely appreciated and if you never want to miss an update click follow. Later all!_


	6. What Happens In New Vegas

_We are here, people! We've reached New Vegas in style! I've also got to say that I'm having some of the most fun writing this story I've ever had. I sincerely hope you are enjoying it as much. If so, please leave a review. I love hearing from you. Anyway this is a long chapter so enjoy!_

**May 28, 2280**

**13:00**

**New Vegas Strip Gate**

Ava, Veronica, and Knox walked as quickly as was inconspicuous from the remains of the mob. It would pay to be elsewhere when people started discussing the two hellcats who had systematically dismantled an entire riot with their fists. And so the trio had sped to the gate to the Strip only pausing long enough for Ava to jab a stimpak in between the knuckles of her broken hand and wrap it in a dirty bandana.

"Veronica, _it's fine_," Ava stressed again to the robed girl. "Barely even hurts now." Ava wiggled her fingers to demonstrate and tensed her face so she didn't wince too badly.

Veronica however, was not that easily fooled, but she did drop it with a flippant, "Don't tell me that. You'll make me lose my faith in punching things. My list of useful skills isn't that long as is. I can't afford to lose one."

"Yeah, if you're no good at hitting things there wouldn't be a reason for you to be here," Knox remarked dryly. "Actually on that note… why _are _you here, Veronica?"

"Oh, you know, just passing through," she replied vaguely before approaching a hulking securitron at the Strip's gate. The cartoon police officer displayed on its screen rotated to address her.

"Please submit to a credit check or present your passport," it rumbled authoritatively out its speaker.

Veronica produced a battered passport from the folds of her robe and didn't even bother to stop. She just waved the booklet in the robot's face and kept walking.

Knox rolled his eyes as she walked through the checkpoint. He turned to Ava. "Shall we?"

Knox started to walk, but Ava caught his ear with her uninjured hand and pulled him down to her level. "What are you playing at?" She hissed at him as he swore in discomfort. "Stop trying to get rid of her!"

"The fuck you talking about? I'm being my normal, charming self!"

Ava released her hold on his ear and he stood up rubbing the side of his head softly. "If I could get rid of Veronica I would have a long time ago. I think it was the incessant babbling that put me off. Or her family trying to light me on fire. Which was definitely her fault," Knox muttered before catching the look on Ava's face. "What?"

"Don't talk about her like that," she said sharply.

Knox looked at her in bewilderment. "You don't even know her!"

"She's… nice."

"She broke your hand."

"She makes a hell of a first impression," Ava countered. "And you're right I don't know her. So don't ruin any chances of me knowing her better!"

Understanding dawned on Knox's face. "You- you've got the hots for Veronica?" he said quietly, a small grin playing on his face.

"I-" Ava started indignantly, but the rest of her reply died in her throat as she looked through the checkpoint at Veronica who was waiting impatiently, her foot tapping on the ground. "My feelings are none of your business," she hissed at Knox. Ava swallowed, her throat suddenly dry as she watched Veronica. The girl was short, maybe two inches shorter than Ava and Ava could tell she had an athletic figure hidden beneath all those robes. Robes which would look great on the floor.

Ava blushed madly as the thought sprang unbidden to her mind. She ripped her eyes away from Veronica. Instead she went back to glaring at Knox who looked to be struggling to hide his barely contained glee.

"What are you laughing at?" she said, a warning creeping into her voice.

Knox ignored the threatening tone and replied, "Honestly? The thought of you courting someone is an amazing mental image. I mean there was that waitress on the train, but you did save her life so that doesn't count. Veronica though-"

Ava cut him off with a jab of her hand into the gaps of his armor. "Shut up! I know I'm bad at talking to people! I know I have zero chance! So don't make it worse and ruin it for me! I know I'll just ruin it for myself," she finished miserably.

Knox put a hand on her shoulder, but she shrugged out from under it. "Actually, Ava, Veronica and you-"

"Oh, don't even start," she spat. "What would she and I even have in common, let alone the fact that we're both girls."

"It's the Wasteland-"

"Yeah, yeah, you take love where you find it. Not everyone subscribes to that, Knox! Some groups actively dislike homosexuality. You've met the Brotherhood."

Knox grit his teeth and bit back a sharp reply. "If you'd let me finish a sentence (and funny you should mention the Brotherhood), I could tell you that Veronica-"

"I. Don't. Want. To. Hear. It." Ava growled at him. Each word punctuated by another jab in between Knox's armored plates. He opened his mouth once more. "Butt out, Knox. I don't want your help this time. I don't always need you! Quit meddling. Just let me suffer."

Knox growled in frustration as Ava stormed past him towards the checkpoint. Her self-pity was truly a caustic experience. She wanted to suffer? Knox could abide to let that happen. At least for a little while.

Ava was stopped by a gun barrel to the face. "Please submit to a credit check or present your passport."

Ava glanced nervously back at Knox. Right. Passport. "Er… Knox?"

Knox inspected some dirt on his gloves dispassionately. "Thought you didn't want my help."

"Knox!" she yelled shrilly and stomped her foot.

Oh yeah. Letting her suffer for a little while would be great. Knox snorted at the thought and addressed the securitron blocking Ava's path, "Lucky 38 Priority Override. Authorization: Courier 6."

The robot's screen went blank, but the gun barrel didn't move. "Uh, Knox? What was that supposed to do?"

Beyond the chain link fence, Veronica watched nervously. She tried to walk back to them, but the securitrons blocked her off. "What's going on?" she shouted back to them.

Knox stared apprehensively at the machines. "That should have given us direct access to the Strip. This is unusual."

The screen flickered back on. Instead of the police officer it had previously displayed, a goonishly grinning cowboy was splashed across the screen.

"Howdy, partner!"

Ava registered a brief look of surprise on Knox's face. "Victor? What a… pleasant surprise."

"Heh heh, I reckon so," laughed the robot. Its gun barrel still hadn't left Ava's face.

"Might I ask why you're stopping us?"

"Not you, just her. Though I suppose I am headin' you off at the pass. The boss man would like a word with you."

Knox crossed his arms. "And you couldn't wait until I was back at the Lucky 38 to tell me this? And get the gun barrel out of her face. She's a plus one."

The screen flickered for a few moments before the arm was lowered. "Another rider for your posse? Can't imagine the boss'll be thrilled about that."

Knox laughed. "Well, I think she'll prove to be useful. If not you can tell me I told you so later."

The robot returned the laugh as Ava stared incredulously. This was a robot. And Knox was laughing with it, indulging it in conversation.

"I'll hold you too that, partner. Now you all roll along and have yourselves a fine day!" The robot tipped a pincer to its screen and Knox returned the salute.

The securitron's screen blinked again and was replaced once more by the police officer. "Enjoy your stay in New Vegas," it rumbled before rolling out of their way.

Knox stepped past Ava and through the robot guarded fenced in area. "You coming?" he called back to her.

Ava jogged up to him where Veronica was waiting. "What was that all about?" she asked.

"I'd like to know too, actually," Ava said.

"Victor wanted a quick chat," Knox said in explanation. Veronica nodded apparently satisfied, but Ava stood in confusion still baffled. "Oh and Ava and I had a brief gossip session. You wouldn't believe who's hot this season," he said conspiratorially.

Ava looked like she was about to commit bloody murder. Her hands clenched at her sides and an eyelid twitched. Knox seemed immensely pleased by her reaction. His smile only grew wider as Veronica slipped on arm into Ava's and steered her away through the gates.

"Come on, Ava. You don't want to tell him stuff like that. He's a terrible listener. You and I can have girl time, paint our nails, stuff like that."

Knox barely managed to suppress a laugh as Veronica led away a dumbstruck and furiously blushing Ava. Knox tagged along after the two, shaking his head as he watched them walk arm and arm into the New Vegas Strip.

Ava could feel Veronica's hair tickle her ear as she leaned in close. Her stomach began back-flipping at the close contact. "Seriously though, if Knox wasn't joking, I know he's not the easiest person to deal with, and by that I mean he is absolutely the most difficult, you can always chat with me. Or you could not. You know because I'm a complete stranger."

"NO!" Ava cried. Veronica drew back in surprise, but found Ava holding tightly to her arm. Ava smiled bashfully and swallowed nervously. "I mean, I uh... I would love to chat with you and get to know you better… if that's okay?"

Veronica gave Ava a brief, weird look, but quickly replaced it with a smile. "Of course it's okay. After all we are in New Vegas. If there ever was a city for people to get to know each other better, it's here."

Veronica smiled at the double entendre while Ava made a pained noise in the back of her throat and felt her neck burn in embarrassment. The embarrassment died fast enough however, as Ava looked beyond Veronica's face and noticed for the first time the city of New Vegas.

The surprise was enough of a shock to her system that she released her grip on Veronica's arm and stepped away from her, her jaw hanging wide open.

Perfectly maintained buildings and more people than she'd ever seen anywhere (and all dressed so well). Electric, neon lights flickered in every direction. Ava spun in a circle as the city bombarded her senses so wonderfully. Dancers and criers lined the street calling for every and any customer to enter their casino. Raucous groups of soldiers stumbled from bar to bar. Colorfully clad civilians moved about like finely dressed schools of fish. To Gomorrah, to the Tops, to the Ultra Lux; each establishment more magnificent than the last.

Ava had never seen anything like it before.

Veronica sidled over to Knox and the two watched Ava dash over and began dancing next to a scantily clad Gomorrah girl.

"Er… is she alright?" she asked him.

Knox shrugged. "I'm just guessing here, but I'd say yeah. I mean for her. For a normal person, no. God no."

Veronica slapped his arm and murmured, "Be nice," still watching Ava shimmy and shake with the dancer. She was laughing now and spinning in circles with the dancers.

Knox clapped his hands over his ears. "Dear lord, what is that awful noise?"

"Stop it, Knox. I think it's adorable," Veronica admonished.

"You would."

Their conversation subsided as Ava trotted back over to them, still grinning. "Sorry about that. It's all just so… so… I don't even have words! I've never seen anything like this. Ever!"

"Well, Vegas is one of a kind," Veronica smiled at her.

"No! Like you don't get it! This is ah-maze-ing! So many people! And everyone is so happy!" Ava was practically bursting at the seams with excitement. The New Vegas spirit had hit her fast. She was all smiles and grins.

Veronica chuckled. "Sure, sure, whatever you say. Where are you from anyway?"

And just like that the smiles were gone. Ava's face dropped and her arms almost reflexively wrapped around herself. Veronica looked shocked at the sudden change and turned to Knox for an explanation.

Knox sighed. "I forget. Which circle of hell is DC? Ava's home is not exactly full of good memories," he explained.

Veronica turned back to Ava. "You're from DC?" she asked in amazement. Veronica looked bashful as she realized that DC was probably not what Ava would want to talk about if Knox wasn't exaggerating. "Sorry. You don't have to talk about it."

Ava silently nodded, taking a deep breath and slowly relaxing her arms. Knox noticed her hand fall and grasp tightly onto Clarity's pommel.

"It's just that I have family out there," Veronica continued, cursing her mouth as it kept talking of its own accord. "They're kind of estranged actually." Stop. Talking.

"Is there any part of your family that isn't estranged, Veronica?" Knox interjected, mercifully cutting Veronica off before she could ramble any further. Veronica and Ava looked to him thankfully for the reprieve in the conversation.

"Not really, Knox, no, there isn't," Veronica replied flippantly, hoping the subject would be dropped.

"Didn't think so. After all, so many of them have tried to kill me," he needled at her with a grin.

"Thank you, Knox," Veronica said forcefully.

"Yes, thank you, Knox," Ava repeated, shooting daggers at him, trying to remind him with a death stare to stop trying to annoy Veronica.

Knox shook his head in disbelief and muttered something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like, "just trying to help."

He took a step back and saluted the two ladies. "I know when I'm not wanted."

Ava and Veronica simultaneously rolled their eyes.

"Message received, fare thee well. Though, Ava," Knox addressed her. "Do try to return to the Lucky 38 relatively quickly. Business to discuss and such. Veronica can show you the way. Have fun, lovebirds!"

With that Knox stepped away from them with a grin as the two both blushed crimson, trying and succeeding in not looking at the other and oh so wonderfully missing each other's expressions. Knox chuckled to himself. This wasn't even hard. Those two were going to be _so angry_ when they figured it out. And it would be so worth it.

Standing quietly in Knox's wake, Veronica cleared her throat and Ava jumped at the sudden noise.

"We _could_ hit the Strip right now, but I for one wouldn't mind dropping my belongings off and I'm guessing you wouldn't mind taking a shower. You smell like you've been on the road for a while."

Ava's eyebrows shot up of their own accord and she lifter an arm, gingerly sniffing. "I do?"

Veronica laughed, snatching Ava's wrist and yanking her arm back to her side. "Yes," she stressed. "And might I suggest not smelling yourself in public? It's not very ladylike."

Ava shrugged noncommittally to the idea. "Well, I think the only people who address me as lady probably wouldn't care."

"And who calls you 'lady'?"

"The Nightkin," she answered simply. "Is this the way to the Lucky 38, or whatever?" Ava asked pointing in the direction Knox had wandered off in. She completely moved past the extraordinary nature of her answer, leaving Veronica very baffled.

"You're… very strange, you know that?"

A look of panic crossed Ava's face and Veronica quickly added, "Good strange. Definitely a good strange." Veronica started walking in the direction Ava had gestured towards a towering building of gleaming white. "Too many people are too boring. That's actually why I work with Knox. He's at least interesting."

"That's one word for it," Ava muttered. Veronica laughed again. Every time she did that Ava couldn't help, but smile. It was such a nice laugh. Veronica continued to talk about the Strip and the Lucky 38, but Ava slowly stopped listening and just stared dreamily at her with a contented smile on her face.

"Afternoon, ladies! Enjoying this fine afternoon, are we?"

Victor's robotic voice floated out of a securitron stationed out front of the tower, dragging Ava's eyes away from her companion.

The cowboy rolled up to them. "Miss Veronica," he greeted. "And pardon me miss, but I don't believe I've had the pleasure," he said to Ava.

Ava rolled her eyes and crossed her arms irritably. "Did you forget pointing a gun in my face earlier? Or does that not count as a pleasure?"

The robot was silent for a moment, internal mechanisms clicking and whirring. "I feel like I'd remember that and you. So no, no, must be the first time we've met. Well, shucks, where are my manners? I'm Victor. Welcome to the Lucky 38!"

Victor rolled back a few feet and swept its pincered arms up on either side of himself, framing the massive tower behind him. Ava looked beyond the robot and craned her neck up at the tower. It was shaped like a massive roulette wheel; the main floor black and white paneled and the tower shooting up from the center. Lights flickered along its length in the afternoon light and every once in a while they would ripple in color.

All in all, Ava felt a little dwarfed standing next to the tower. It was so perfect. So… unnatural in her eyes. She swallowed and squashed that feeling. So very many things were "unnatural" to her and she was smart enough to recognize that she was the one out of sync with the world.

She looked to Veronica. "Are we going in?"

"Absolutely. I've been walking all afternoon. I'd kill for a shower."

Ava's throat suddenly became very dry at the idea of a very naked Veronica in the shower, but that alluring mental image was dwarfed by the realization of something much more appealing.

"A shower? Like with… hot water?"

Veronica giggled at her. "Of course with hot water!" She laughed harder as Ava bowled past her towards the massive doors.

"Well, what are we waiting for then?"

Victor waved goodbye as the two disappeared into the casino. "Happy trails, ladies!" he called after them.

The two stepped into the dimly lit casino floor. As Ava's eyes adjusted from the bright sunlight outside to the interior she looked around in confusion.

"It's empty."

While the casino was certainly not empty, slot machines and card tables crowded the room, it was absolutely devoid of life, a complete contrast to the hustle and bustle of the Strip.

"Well, duh. Wow, you really don't know anything about New Vegas do you?" Veronica asked.

"What part of 'I'm from hell' did Knox not make clear?" Ava retorted.

"Sorry, sorry," Veronica apologized. "It's just usually when people come to the Mojave it's to come here, New Vegas. Everyone from California, New Reno, even some from the Commonwealth, they all come to the Strip. I guess I just thought you did too."

"Nope. I came to meet my grandfather," Ava replied, looking around at the casino.

"Huh. That's… sweet?"

"Still think I'm strange?"

Veronica smiled at the question. "More and more."

"Is it still good?"

"Oh yes."

Ava wandered over to an immaculately kept poker table and ran her hand along its soft felt top. "Soooo… want to fill me in on why this place is deserted?"

"Well, not deserted exactly. A few of us that Knox invited have rooms here," Veronica explained, walking down the steps onto the casino floor next to Ava.

"So this place is Knox's?" Ava asked looking around incredulously.

"Definitely not," Veronica snorted. "The Lucky 38 belongs to Mr. House." At the confused look on Ava's face, she continued," Mr. House is the enigmatic ruler of all of New Vegas. There are the three families: the Chairmen, the Omertas, and the White Glove Society; all reformed tribals. And they all serve Mr. House."

"Is that what you do?" Ava asked, "Work for Mr. House?"

"I like to think I work for… with," she sighed and corrected herself again, "_for_ Knox. Knox works for House though."

Ava hmmed to herself. "That would make sense. He's mentioned a House several times. I always thought it was in more of a 'house rules' type sense."

"Funny you should say that," Veronica chuckled, "Because that's exactly what Mr. House does. He rules. Not that I've ever met him. Heard his voice a few times."

"You've never met him?"

"No one has. No one has even seen him. Except Knox."

"That's… mysterious," Ava said quietly. She glanced at Veronica who was smiling at her. She looked away quickly though and resumed running her hand along the table.

"So… you mentioned a shower?" she asked, trying to break the awkward silence.

"Oh, right! Shower, yeah. Follow me." Veronica beckoned for Ava to follow her and marched over to the center of the room and an elevator. A securitron stood next to it. Its screen flickered to be replaced by Victor.

"Where to, partners?" he asked chipperly.

"Presidential Suite please, Victor," Veronica requested.

The robot nodded slightly and the elevator doors slid open. Ava and Veronica stepped inside and with a ding the doors shut and the elevator began to ascend.

As soon as they were away, Ava turned to Veronica and asked, "Okay, I've got to know. What is up with that robot?"

"Oh you get used to him," Veronica replied. "He's some sort of program House made. As far as I've gathered he can jump from securitron to securitron as needed. I tried to dismantle him once (which I definitely wasn't supposed to do) and I was halfway into his chassis when he rolled up behind me in a different body and asked if I was that forward with everyone."

"So, is he some sort of AI?" Ava asked, seeking more information. "Because he seems way to smart just to be a programmed personality. And if he can travel from body to body he'd have to have some sort of master storage off sight. But that wouldn't explain the memory problems, he forgot who I was. Or he was lying. Can a robot lie? What?"

She stopped talking when she noticed Veronica watching her with a curious grin.

"What?" she repeated.

"Pretty _and_ smart," Veronica replied. The bell dinged and the doors opened allowing Veronica a quick escape as Ava stood and babbled, blushing like a fool. She stumbled out after Veronica, still trying to get a single word out.

Veronica took pity on her and pointed to a door at the end of the hallway. "Bathrooms," she said. "Take a shower; take as long as you want. We can go wander the Strip after."

Ava nodded mutely and was trying to regain her composure when a door creaked open behind her. She spun around and found herself face to face with a frowning ghoul dressed in a faded green, grease-stained jumpsuit. Ava gave a tentative smile, but the ghoul ignored her. Instead he stared pointedly at Veronica.

"Sorry, Raul," she whispered. "Did we wake you up?"

The ghoul, Raul, chuckled humorlessly and stepped out into the hallway. "Nah, chica. This old man was already awake. Or woken up rather," he groused.

Ava was about to ask what woke him up when a whisky bottle sailed into the hallway and smashed into the wall in an explosion of glass and alcohol. The forcefully thrown bottle was followed by a woman's voice screaming a colorful string of expletives.

Veronica looked from the bottle to Raul. "Cass?"

Raul nodded and scratched the skin on his chin. "Si. Apparently, the boss forgot to tell her he was leaving for several months."

"Knox did what?" Veronica asked, mouth agape.

"Yeah, he did what now?" Ava repeated.

Raul looked down at Ava, his eyes widening as if he was seeing her for the first time. "Veronica, who's your girlfriend?"

Whatever answer Raul would have gotten was lost in the manic spewing of denials from Ava, Veronica laughing at her, and Cass's continued ranting. The old man sighed.

"I'm too old for this."

_So writers always like to talk about their stories evolving as they write it. This and the last chapter are definitely like that for me. From bringing in Veronica early and leading into something I'll be revealing next chapter. Something that I am happy to announce will bring about a series of one-shots involving everyone's favorite Courier. It'll mainly be something easy to write concurrently with this story. To add little bits of backstory and such when relevant. I'll time it with character introductions and reveals in "Dead Man's Hand". So next post will actually be a double post! New chapter for "Dead Man's Hand" and a little bit of one-shot goodness! Hope you liked the chapter! Please leave a review about your favorite bits._


	7. Stays in New Vegas

_This chapter has been a long time coming folks! And I'm very happy to present it to you in all its lengthy glory. That being said I also posted the first chapter in a oneshot series featuring the characters from this story. "The Wasteland Journal of Mr. Knox" focuses on past interactions between Knox and the New Vegas companions. I don't have the luxury of exploring those interactions in "Dead Man's Hand" only mentioning them. So every time I mention something like that, "The Journal" gets an update. Today we have this chapter and the first in "The Wasteland Journal of Mr. Knox."_

_Also someone sent me a PM super excited about discovering all the notes and stuff I have in my profile page. If you are interested in the route this story will be taking (no spoilers don't worry) go check out my profile. It's got some cool stuff._

_Lastly… read, enjoy, review!_

**May 28, 2280**

**14:00**

**The Lucky 38**

Ava stood next to Veronica and Raul out in the hallway, listening to Cass rant and yell and scream and curse. Ava actually felt slightly cowed by the verbal tirade the woman was unleashing. And just who was the focus of this venomous tongue-lashing?

None other than Knox.

Ava stood in awe, hiding slightly behind Veronica's shoulder as Cass covered her bases from insulting his personality and looks to his inability to please a woman. Some of her outrages sounded incredibly personal and… intimate to Ava's ears, bringing a slight blush to her cheeks and a hand covering her mouth in shock.

"How long has this been going on for, Raul?" Veronica asked, her voice hushed.

Raul grunted and grouchily replied, "Pretty much since the boss walked in the front door. Heard her storm up like a tornado and the screaming hasn't stopped since."

Another bottle flew out of the room's open door and shattered against the wall.

"The destruction of booze is new though."

As if to accent that one more bottle flew out directly at Veronica. Before the woman could dodge or get hit, Ava's hand shot up to catch the bottle, her gaze still wide-eyed and locked on the door.

"Thanks."

"No problem," Ava said absentmindedly. "Why uh… why is she so…"

"Angry, pissed, out of her damned mind?" Raul practically growled, rolling his eyes. "Veronica, you want to inform your girlfriend? I'm going down to the casino to find some blissful quiet before something else tries to disrupt these old bones."

Veronica answered, "Sure, Raul, go ahead," while Ava choked out, "We're not girlfriends!"

As Raul walked slowly over to the elevator and away, Veronica elbowed Ava in the ribs. "Ahhh, you don't want to be my girlfriend?" she teased.

"N-no! I m-mean, I'm sure you'd be a great girlfriend! I-if that was you know… If I was… and you were…"

Veronica shushed her and smiled again. "Don't worry about it. I'm just messing with you. Anyways we should probably go somewhere quieter to talk, somewhere with less profanity." She jerked her thumb towards Cass's open door.

"Uh, Veronica…" Ava said nervously, pointing behind the hooded girl towards Cass's room.

Standing in the doorway was a redheaded woman whose face was so furrowed into a scowl that Ava imagined she could actually hear her teeth grinding against each other. Her glare seemed to be for the world in general, but in seeing Veronica and Ava in the hallway, Cass turned the hate-beams on them.

"Hiya, Cass!" Veronica greeted enthusiastically.

Cass shook her head dismissively at her and muttered, "Great, you're back too." She glanced fleetingly at Ava. "With a friend. Not like this place isn't crowded enough."

Veronica kept smiling happily like Cass's anger was the most natural thing in the world. Ava on the other hand, already woefully unprepared for dealing with people's emotions, resorted to her normal fight or flight response. To her surprise (and trepidation) she felt the sudden urge to run away from the redhead's rage.

She instead slid further behind Veronica's back in an effort to hide and squeaked out, "I'm Ava."

The slight noise drew her back into the line of fire as Cass locked onto her, finding her to be an outlet for her aggression. "What was that? You've got to speak up if you want people to hear you." As she spoke she stepped further out into the hallway, looking down on Veronica and Ava. Cass was taller than both of them and she glared from up high.

Ava bristled as Cass approached them threateningly. This is how people ended up being stabbed around her. Veronica seemed to sense the tension and broke it in the only way how. By being inappropriately cheerful.

"This is Ava, Cass! She just rolled into town with Knox," she said brightly. "We beat up a mob together. It was pretty cool, I won't lie."

Cass's face had locked up at the mention of Knox's name and she appeared to have stopped listening. Ava watched in amazement as her jaw clenched even tighter and a vein bulged in her neck. She literally looked like she was going to explode.

Before Veronica had a chance to continue talking, Cass whirled around and stormed back into her room, slamming the door in their faces. The two could faintly hear the sounds of things breaking in her room.

Ava jumped back in relief from her position behind Veronica as the door shut forcefully. A painting hanging on the wall next to it crashed to the floor, its pane shattering.

Veronica just shrugged and said, "Well that could have gone better."

"What is _wrong_ with her?" Ava asked.

"She's angry. Understandably so."

Ava looked at her doubtfully. "Who gets understandably that mad?"

"Well, she has some anger issues too, I suppose, but you wouldn't know anything about that, sweet thing that you are."

"I've had my… problems… with anger management," Ava replied casually, inspecting the wallpaper and not looking Veronica in the eye.

"More like psychotic breaks," a voice interjected from the elevator.

Veronica waved hello to Knox as Ava spun around bristling.

"KNOX!" she growled through grit teeth.

"Oh, I'm sorry was I interrupting something?" he asked in a stage whisper. "Or was it the… PSYCHOSIS?" he asked louder.

Before Ava could cross the short distance between them and beat him death, she was held back by Veronica's arm wrapping around her chest.

"I think a little insanity is sexy," she said, meaning to tease Knox, but achieving the exact opposite.

Knox threw his head back, uncontrollably laughing, as Ava's eyes shot wide opened and she made a choking sound. Veronica looked between Knox and Ava, trying to figure out why one was laughing and couldn't breathe, and the other had seemed to stop breathing entirely.

"What? What is it?" she asked confused.

"You'll figure it out. You'll _both_ figure it out… eventually," Knox managed to gasp out while clutching his side.

Veronica pouted and released Ava. As soon as her arm slipped off, Ava regained her senses and stormed forwards, backhanding Knox across the face. His head snapped to the side and his hat flew off.

"Ava!" shouted Veronica in shock. She hadn't actually expected Ava to hit him.

Knox collapsed against the wall, one hand on his face, the other held in front of him in case Ava came at him again. Instead she just stood threateningly over him.

"Stop mentioning my _former_ mental state," she commanded.

Knox nodded and stood back up. "Message received. Loud and clear. Er… um… my bad?" he apologized lamely.

Ava crossed her arms and continued to glare at him. "Yeah, it is. And I wouldn't talk so loud. I'm not the only person around who wants to hurt you. There's a genuine redhead who wants to do some damage." Ava said, one hand tugging at her formerly scarlet hair. She hadn't had time to dye it again ever since it had all burned off in Los Alamos. Actually for that matter, a haircut in general was in order. She felt far too shaggy. She raised her other hand and pointed at Cass's door menacingly.

Knox's eyes followed her finger and locked on. Crossing over his face was an expression that looked suspiciously like abject terror.

"She's uh- she's in there, is she?" he asked quietly, not looking away from the closed door. Veronica and Ava nodded silently. "Ah. I see. Maybe I'll come back later. Just wanted to… um… leave a present, er, an 'I'm sorry gift' rather."

Knox reached into his satchel and pulled out a bright red bottle of soda. Ava could make out the words 'Nuka Cola Victory' on the side.

"I can give it to her later. You know, when she's not in a shouty mood."

As if on cue, Cass's door was ripped open. Cass strode out, one hand pointed at Ava and Veronica and the other holding tightly to a whiskey bottle. Her mouth was open as if she was about to yell something at the two women standing in the hall, but her words died when she caught sight of Knox.

"YOU!"

"Oh god! It's happening anyway!" Knox cried. He dropped the bottle of soda and grabbed hold of Ava by the shoulders. Using Ava like a shield, Knox backed into the elevator.

Cass raised her bottle of whiskey in their direction, but Knox ducked further behind Ava. "You wouldn't throw that at a bystander, would you Cass?" he yelled at her as he mashed the door shut button in the elevator.

Cass's "FUCK YOU," was cut off as the doors slid shut and Knox and Ava were whisked away from her wrath. She stood panting in unreleased rage next to Veronica.

Noticing the bottle of Victory on the ground, Veronica knelt down and picked it up. She gently handed it to Cass. "He got this for you," she said quietly before walking down the hall to her room.

Cass stood standing stock still staring at the bottles in her hands; one holding whiskey and one the Nuka Cola. With a sigh of defeat, Cass turned and walked back into her room as well. Her shoulders sagged and her chest deflated as the anger bled away.

"Stupid, Knox," she muttered before kicking her door shut.

**The Lucky 38**

**The Elevator**

"Wow. She really hates you," Ava remarked at the slightly miserable Knox.

"Hate is a strong word. Cass and I have our issues with each other, but hate isn't one of them. At least I hope not."

Ava was about to say another prickly comment, but she held it back upon looking at how forlorn the Courier looked. She instead settled for asking, "What did you do to her?"

Knox snorted humorlessly. "I'll take credit for causing the current outburst," he said, "But not for the general climate. That's been building for a long time."

"What happened?"

"Something I'm not going to talk about with you," Knox answered with as much finality as he could. Ava wasn't buying it.

"As much as it pains me to admit it (and it does cause me literal pain), every time that you've wormed whatever was bothering me out into the open it did make me feel better."

"And I'm glad you're so easy to deal with. Not all of us are that simple."

"Hey! Fuck y- wait…" Ava looked at the floor of the elevator and then to the ceiling. "Why are we going up?"

"Because, Ava. The time has come for all the answers I've ever promised you."

The elevator door dinged open and Knox guided Ava out of it.

"You're kidding right?" she asked, doubting him. "This is just some ploy to get out of talking about your feelings."

Knox chuckled and led Ava past several securitrons and into a large open office dominated by a wall sized monitor. "As convenient as the timing is, no. I am absolutely serious. It's time for you to meet my boss."

"You really have a boss?" Ava asked, once more skeptical.

"Indeed he does, young lady. And from what Mr. Knox tells me. You might soon as well."

The voice was cultured, suave, and authoritative to the core. A chill went down Ava's spine just hearing it. She whipped her head back and forth trying to locate the source.

"Over here, my dear," the voice said again, this time accompanied by the crackling of the massive monitor coming to life. After flickering for a few moments the image stabilized to display the portrait of a well groomed man dressed in a suit.

Upon seeing the man's snappily groomed mustache and hair, Ava couldn't help, but snicker at how shoddy Knox looked standing next to it with his hat tousled head and the curly monstrosity he called a mustache.

"Are you quite finished?" the monitor asked haughtily.

It was Knox's turn to snicker as Ava stuttered an apology up at the giant face.

"Mr. Knox has told me a great deal about you, my dear, and I must say I am intrigued by you. Oh don't look so angry at him!" the face said as Ava shot Knox a glare. "You should be thanking him. Not many have the qualities necessary to impress me."

Ava switched her glare at Knox back to the monitor. "Qualities?" she asked tentatively.

A soft chuckle breezed out of the speakers flanking the monitor. "All good things, I assure you. An impressive resume to be sure. But that can be discussed later. First things first. Do you know who I am?"

Ava slowly shook her head, not trusting herself to address the screen.

"Oh, come now," chided the voice. "You wouldn't want to disappoint Mr. Knox now would you? He had nothing, but the highest praise for your abilities. Beyond swinging that sword you have strapped to your waist. _Do you know who I am_?"

Ava swallowed. "Y-… you're Mr. House. You run New Vegas," she said quietly.

"Excellent, my dear! Excellent. My name is Robert Edwin House; President, CEO, and sole proprietor of the New Vegas Strip. I do indeed, as you put it, run New Vegas. I'm impressed. You've been in New Vegas for less than a day and you've figured out who I am. And without Mr. Knox ever telling you my name."

Ava cleared her throat awkwardly. "I… I didn't figure it out."

"Excuse me? Speak up, girl!"

Ava dismissed a brief flicker of irritation as the House said the same thing Cass had just said to her. These people all talked to each other so easily. She wasn't good at that. Oh well, best give it her best.

"I didn't figure it out," she said firmly.

Knox cocked his head to the side and House murmured a light, "Oh?"

"Veronica told me you ran New Vegas and were Knox's boss when we entered the Lucky 38. I've never seen Knox listen to someone like he does when you speak. Usually he's just waiting for his turn to speak."

Knox looked offended for a moment, but just as quickly smiled widely at her.

"You do your own intelligence as disservice," House said. "Still impressive, despite Ms. Santangelo's aid. And you are honest! That's more than I can say for some of my employees."

"Why do I feel like you're talking about me?" asked Knox with a cheeky smile.

"I was actually referring to Benny, but if you have the need to unburden yourself, Mr. Knox, now would be an excellent time to do so." Knox shook his head no. "No? Well in that case you may leave. Ms. Mitchell and I have business to discuss."

Ava blanched visibly as House spoke her name for the first time and Knox looked like he was going to argue for a moment, but swallowed whatever remark he was going to make and exited with a nod to House and quick thumbs up to Ava. Ava swallowed nervously again as he left her alone in the room with House.

Ava stood awkwardly for a moment and looked around for a chair, but finding none, settled for sitting cross-legged on the plush carpeting before House.

"What are you doing?" he asked a tad sharply.

Ava sat up straight nervously, but didn't rise to her feet. "I've been walking all day and there are no chairs. You want to talk. I thought… maybe I could be comfy? It just made sense." The longer Ava spoke the quieter she got under the unwavering and never-changing gaze of Mr. House.

Silence held the room for a few moments until House broke it with a short laugh. Ava immediately relaxed in relief.

"I've always considered myself a pragmatist, but it has been quite some time since comfort has been an issue. My apologies, Ms. Mitchell."

"That's okay," she smiled at him, shifting herself until she was comfortable on the floor. "You're much nicer than the last disembodied voice I met."

"Really?"

"Yeah. He was a brain that was trying to kill me."

"… I see."

Ava suddenly got the sense that she'd said something that she shouldn't have. Perhaps this discussion about business was more of a one sided discussion than an actual, you know, discussion.

"I'll, uh, I'll be quiet now," she said before miming zipping her lips.

"Quite," House said before being silent himself for a few moments. "Ava Mitchell. Age: 20. Place of Birth: the Capital Wasteland. An accomplished hand to hand combatant, adequate with firearms," Ava sniffed at being called adequate, "master of stealth, expertise in medicine and technology. Extremely perceptive and I quote, 'a born survivor.' All together the makings of a very valuable asset to me. Except for one thing I still need to know… what drives you, Ava Mitchell?"

That… was a big question. One Knox had asked her before and she suspected he had this very encounter in mind. She'd have to have a chat with him about that later. For now, well, Mr. House had already said he admired her honesty so perhaps honesty would be the best policy here as well.

"I want to help people."

By the satisfied noise House made, Ava knew she'd said the right thing albeit very simply.

"You want to help people? Well, my dear, do you know how? Because I do. I know how to save the Mojave. When people look at New Vegas they like to see a city of sin. Corruption, greed, vice. I see potential. I turned a group of yowling tribals into respected families. I turned a land of junkies and psychopaths into an economic superpower. I have no intention of stopping there. Ms. Mitchell, I remember the world before the bombs fell. I remember this city as it was. A city of culture and class. I aim to turn back the clock. What you see is but a fraction of the city's former glory, and yet… more than an echo. I preserved its spirit. And with that spirit we can save this world."

Ava was still skeptical. The words painted a pretty picture sure, but all leaders worth their salts could talk. They all had some claim to fame. It was how they decided to proceed that matters.

"So?" she asked, interrupting his rhetoric. "_How _do you propose to save the Wasteland?"

"A radioactive desert where humans subsist in a barbaric state?" House surmised aloud. "Difficult to glorify convincingly. It is, however, aptly named. The Wasteland. It truly is a waste. One that I aim to correct. You want to know how I intend to save it? Pure and simple, I have the necessary resources to provide a startup for civilization; food, water, security. I can provide it for people, all funded by New Vegas profits."

"What about the NCR and the Legion?" Ava asked.

"And what do _you_ know about the NCR and the Legion?" Ava shrugged in answer. "Bunch of pretentious fools is what they are. Yes, they are a threat, but they can be beaten by New Vegas."

"The city has high walls, but from what I've heard the NCR and the Legion… they're big."

House chuckled. "Your simplicity is a refreshing change of pace, but you seem to be confused on one point. Not the city of New Vegas. The _nation_ of New Vegas. Before Mr. Knox went on his sojourn to find you, he was finding me resources to help build a city. Now that he's back and most fortuitously he's brought you with him, phase two can begin. We have the resources. Now we need the people. Do you want to know what you would be doing if you agreed to work for me?"

"I would," Ava answered slowly. The more House talked the more she started to understand why Knox followed him. House wasn't made of honeyed words and fiery arguments. The man was cold logic backed by a vision to restore the world to its glory. A combination that created a very promising plan of action, Ava decided.

House was by no means an altruist. But in this instance it didn't matter. What he wanted was to save the Wasteland if only to see the rise of his city again. The end result was still to save everything. Ava thought about it. Maybe altruism wasn't what the Wasteland needed. Perhaps it was something else. Something more concrete. While she pondered, House continued.

"There are many factions in the Mojave. Some good, some bad, some valuable. I want them. To be strong, to resist the decay of the ages, New Vegas needs to be united. That's what Mr. Knox and yourself are for. I will admit my negotiations before the bombs fell where most effective because they left the other party little choice. I trust Mr. Knox to be able to bring in followers willingly to the cause. Yourself included."

Ava rested her chin thoughtfully on her hand. "I haven't said I'm in yet," she remarked while looking up at House's looming visage.

"Really?" House drawled. "You're still listening to me, aren't you?"

She couldn't help, but smile. The man was indeed a shrewd businessman. "Just one question."

"Proceed."

"Knox has already brought in followers. Veronica, Raul… Cass, but Veronica has never seen you. I'm not even here a day and I'm talking to you face to, uh, screen?"

"Mr. Knox's companions have been invaluable," House replied. "However, I do not speak to anyone lightly. Consider yourself a rare occurrence."

"But why?" insisted Ava. "Why the VIP treatment? I'm just a wanderer."

"Oh, don't be coy," House admonished. "You've been playing a high-stakes game long before you met anyone in my employ. Don't be afraid to admit it. You are extraordinary. A survivor, a warrior, and a hero. _And_ you've conquered your demons."

Ava shifted uncomfortably under his gaze. Apparently, Knox had told House _everything_.

"You see that you and I are of a different stripe, don't you?" House continued. "We don't have to _dream_ that we're important. We _are_."

Ava was too stunned to speak. House had in less than a minute, succinctly and rapidly put words to every thought she'd ever denied herself. She _had_ survived more than anyone. She _had _accomplished more than anyone. She was important.

But that wasn't an end-all-be-all for House like it was for so many others. He knew he was important and he was going to do something with that knowledge. He was going to fix the Wasteland.

And Ava was going to help him.

"I- thank you… Mr. House," she managed to get out.

"You are welcome, Ms. Mitchell," he replied.

Ava hopped to her feet, smiling slightly. "I'd be honored to work for you. When do I start?"

House's laughter rang out the speakers. "Please, my dear, you've just crossed an entire country to get here! Take a break. Have a few days to explore the Strip. When I have an assignment for you, I will let you know. For now, consider the Lucky 38 your home."

"I- of course," Ava said, slightly off put. It wasn't often she was gunning to help someone rather than at them and House had convinced her. That being said, a vacation, if only for a couple of days, did seem very enticing.

"Thank you," she said before turning and heading for the door.

Ava left House's chamber and walked to the elevator her thoughts buzzing. First, find Knox: hurt him for telling someone all her secrets. Second: thank Knox for knowing her well enough to bring her to Vegas. Third…

Ava collapsed against the wall as the elevator doors closed and she began to descend back to the Presidential Suite. Third, find Veronica. She needed something to calm her down and Veronica's presence was probably the nicest thing she'd discovered so far in New Vegas so that would work just fine.

The elevator doors slid open and Ava stepped out into the hallway. She looked to her left and then her right. So many doors. And she didn't know which one was Veronica's.

She pointed at one. Raul's.

The one next to it. Cass's.

Beyond that… who knew?

She crept down the hallway absentmindedly biting her thumb. Just knocking on doors probably wasn't the best idea. She didn't even know how many people lived here. As she walked past Cass's room, its door suddenly swung open.

Cass stood in the doorway looking set to go out. She was pulling on a leather jacket over her flannel shirt and was wearing a battered cowboy hat.

She made eye contact with Ava for a moment before saying, "Perfect."

Before Ava could ask what was perfect, Cass grabbed her by the arm and was dragging her back towards the elevator.

"Come on. We're going out," the woman said gruffly.

"We are!?" cried Ava trying to free her arm from Cass's steely grasp.

"Yep," she replied, hitting the button for the casino floor. "I need to get out of here before I go do something I regret. Like shooting my stupid ex-boyfriend."

"Stupid ex? What are you- who is your-…wait… you don't mean… KNOX!?"

_Well wasn't that fun!? Finally brought in Mr. House. I always thought he was such a dick in New Vegas so I decided to tone that down a bit. Anyway. Hope you all liked it. Next chapter will be a fun one. Lots of humorous conversations. Give me a review if you enjoyed the chapter, now go read "The Wasteland Journal of Mr. Knox". The first chapter is directly related to what you just read at the end there. See ya!_


	8. Relational Discussion

_This week on "Dead Man's Hand"… Comedy! Drinking! Sexy Underwear! This was a fun chapter written in gloves. Edited as best I could, but the gloves made it hard. It's very, very cold in my apartment right now. Anyway, I hope you all liked the first story in "The Wasteland Journals of Mr. Knox". I'll update it periodically as this story demands and I will be sure to let you know whenever I plan on having the next update be a double post for both stories. So have fun reading and please leave a review, especially if you never have before. And if you have, well leave another one. And if you're reading this in the future and I'm currently working on Part 5, leave a review anyway. It's still nice to read them._

**May 28, 2280**

**16:00**

**The Strip**

"Please let go of me."

The plea fell on deaf ears as Cass continued to drag Ava across the Strip towards the Gomorrah. The redhead hadn't loosened up her steely grip since she'd latched on to Ava with her leather gloved hands. And now Ava was being held under duress.

"Come on! Leggo!" she tried again, this time worming around and digging her heels into the pavement. She managed to slow Cass's forward movement enough to get her attention.

The fiery redhead came to a halt and whirled on Ava, her stormy gaze giving the girl pause and she froze, her stomach fluttering nervously. Unfortunately Ava's mouth seemed to be moving faster than her brain.

"Why am I scared of you?" she asked slowly, looking up at Cass from behind her bangs with wide eyes.

Cass laughed through her nose before giving Ava a broad grin.

"Look. I don't know you," she said, "But by the shear fact that I saw you in the Lucky 38 means I'll be seeing you around some. My generally pissy attitude has a habit of driving people off. I'm trying to be nice to you."

"By kidnapping me?" Ava protested, her voice shrill. Ava cleared her throat in embarrassment as Cass's grin only got wider. "By kidnapping me?" she repeated her voice almost comically deepened.

Cass shook her head in amusement and continued walking and pulling Ava after her. "I'm not kidnapping you. I'm taking you to get a drink, kid."

Ava managed to snatch her arm away from Cass, but followed alongside her anyways. A drink couldn't be all bad. And Cass seemed to be taking the lead in the whole friend-making process so Ava was okay with that. The less pressure on her to perform socially, the better.

"Fine," Ava relented. "A drink. But don't call me that!"

"What?"

"_Kid_," Ava elaborated. "Don't call me kid."

Cass raised an eyebrow beneath the brim of her hat. "How old are you anyway? Fifteen, sixteen?"

"I'm twenty," Ava replied indignantly, raising her chin and trying to appear taller. She failed miserably as Cass was still several inches taller.

"Yeah, that's a lie," Cass said, snorting. You look like a fucking teenager." Cass raised her hands and grabbed her flannel covered breasts before leering wickedly at Ava.

Ava sniffed and looked away. "I kicked the last woman to remark on my boobs in the face. She broke her nose."

Cass laughed and threw an arm around Ava's shoulder. "Oh, I like you," she said as she led her through the throng of NCR troops milling about outside the casino.

They dodged the advances of several soldiers and walked up the steps into the Gomorrah's lobby. Ava nearly gagged at the incredibly sweet, stuffy air as they entered the lobby. Whereas the Strip and the rest of the Mojave were dry, the interior of the Gomorrah was sickly sweet and perfumed.

Ava could tell the casino worked hard to achieve that as behind the scent, she could still smell the overwhelming tang of booze, smoke, and sex. And it was loud too! Bells and whistles were ringing from the casino floor, everyone was talking at the top of their voices just to be heard, and raucous music was playing in the background. All of this and she was only in the lobby. Were all the casinos on the Strip like the Gomorrah?

Cass looked at the girl next to her as she looked about ready to puke. "You okay, pipsqueak?"

Shaking her head in irritation at the epithet, Ava murmured, "It _smells_."

With a chuckle Cass walked towards a counter in the corner and rang a bell to gather the attention of the desk clerk. Ava slowly followed her over, her face still scrunched up at the sensory bombardment. She didn't think of herself as delicate. By no means, actually. Gunfire in her ears, and decay in her nose was something she was used to. Maybe sensitive was a better word. Her senses were honed for survival. The Gomorrah's… unique… feel just put her on edge.

As Ava contemplated simply breaking a window to get some fresh air, Cass continued to fruitlessly try and get the desk clerk's attention. The man gave her an irritated glare and motioned that he was with another customer. The customer in question was a woman in an obnoxious, yellow dress complaining loudly that she couldn't find her husband.

Looking into the casino floor, past several very large bouncers, Ava could see why. Scantily clad women everywhere! Perhaps the Gomorrah wasn't so bad.

Cass rang the bell repeatedly until the clerk looked her way again. "Hey. Buddy. We'd like to check our weapons."

"Look lady, I'm busy," he replied snidely. "I don't have time to deal with two broads who don't even meet the dresscode." Ava looked down at her stealthsuit. Dresscode? The man continued, "So why don't you and your little friend get out of here, Red?"

The man started to turn away, thinking he'd cleared them off, and failed to notice Cass smirk and lean over the counter. She grabbed his tie and jerked him back towards her until their noses were almost touching. Before the man could utter a sound she reached into her jacket.

Ava's eyes widened in shock. Was Cass going to shoot him? Was that common procedure? She doubted Mr. House would go for that sort of thing on the Strip. The clerk screwed his eyes up in terror, like Ava expecting to be shot. Instead Cass pulled a playing card out of her pocket and gently flicked it against the man's nose.

Ava stood on her tip toes behind Cass trying to get a good look at it as the man's eyes widened in recognition. Printed on the back was the Lucky 38 logo. On the reverse was the queen of hearts.

"I- I'm s- so sorry, ma'am. I didn't realize you were a VIP!" the man stammered nervously, briefly glancing at the security guards who had noticed the scuffle and warning them away. "I'd be happy to check your weapons for you."

Cass released him with a smile and clapped him on the shoulder. "Excellent!" She reached back into her jacket and pulled out a revolver and unsheathed a knife on her hip and laid them both on the counter in front of the man. The clerk smiled nervously and handed her a green tag which Cass pocketed.

They both turned to Ava and looked at her expectantly.

"Miss?" the man asked, his voice wavering. Ava looked at him in confusion.

"The pigsticker, pipsqueak," Cass clarified. "You can't take it into the casino with you."

"Fuck that," Ava cried, her hands clamping down on Clarity's hilt possessively. She'd dropped her bag and the rest of her weapons at the Lucky 38, but she _never_ went anywhere without Clarity. She would never admit it to anyone, but she slept with it too. And she assumed, while never having had the chance yet, that she'd shower with the goddamned sword as well.

Cass looked at her in irritation. "Look. It'll be fine. It goes right there in the weapons locker. You get it back when we leave. Now, let's go," she said firmly, glaring at Ava.

Ava held her stare for a few moments, her face firm and unyielding. Cass tapped her foot a few times in impatience and Ava grit her teeth and growled in frustration.

The clerk felt his knees knock together as she turned her eyes on him. Her gaze was cold and deathly serious. She slowly slid the sword and its sheathe out of her belt and set it on the counter in front of him. He reached forward to take it, but she didn't relinquish her grip.

"That sword is _very_ important to me," she said, her voice low. "If anything happens to it, you better pray you find a gun to shoot yourself fast," she warned. "Because if you don't, I will find you, I will extract your spine, and then I will beat you to death with it."

Ava let go of Clarity and stepped back, her eyes never leaving the desk clerk's.

Cass nudged her with her elbow as they descended onto the casino floor. "I think you made him shit himself in terror over that sword. Possessive much?"

"Knox got me that sword. It means a lot to me."

Cass sighed and looked momentarily irritated. "Yeah, he's real good at figuring out the gifts that'll do the most damage."

Cass lapsed into silence and Ava thought of the bottle of special Nuka Knox had gotten for Cass. What was so significant about that? She at least got a weapon.

"Yeah… so…" Ava said slowly before blurting out, "You dated Knox!?"

Cass stopped walking and grabbed Ava by the arm again. "For the sake of our blossoming friendship, don't mention him. _Seriously_."

Ava nodded, but as soon as Cass let go of her she asked, "If you hate him so much why do you stay at the Lucky 38? Why do you keep helping him?"

Cass threw her head back in exasperation and rubbed her palms into her eyes. "I don't hate him, pipsqueak. I'm mad at him. I'm not always mad at him, but right now, I'm really, really angry and drinking alone wasn't working, so I decided drinking with someone else might do it and now instead of drinking, we're talking."

Cass glared at Ava. Ava swallowed nervously and asked, "Is talking not helping?" Cass's angry silence was the only answer she needed. "So I guess we better get to drinking. Where's the bar?"

Before Cass could say anything in surprise, Ava had already wheeled away in search of the bar. Cass caught up to her and pointed her to a large double door on the far side of the casino. The two wove through the throng, pausing only momentarily for Ava to knee someone in the groin who she decided was handsy. In reality the man had simply bumped into her. Cass was not one to care and kicked the man while he was down.

Approaching the bar, Cass leaned over to Ava and had to yell to be heard. "Are you feeling loud and raunchy or quiet and secluded?"

Ava yelled back, "Depends. Do you want to get in bar fight?"

Cass laughed aloud and shook her head, pulling Ava past the main (and very busy) bar towards a door at the back. Golden filigree above the door read, "the Zoara Club".

Cass nodded at the doorman who apparently recognized her and opened the door and waved them up a set of stairs. The door shut behind them, reducing the rabble to a dull roar.

Turning to Ava, Cass said, "As fun as a bar fight sounds right now, a quiet drink might be better. Follow me."

Cass led Ava up the stairs to a small lounge overlooking the main casino floor and club. Dimly lit booths and tables were scattered around and a few people were playing pool. Against the wall was a smaller bar. Compared to the floor beneath, the Zoara Club was practically deserted.

The two walked over to a secluded booth and slid in across from each other. Cass flagged a waiter over to order drinks.

"Whiskey. The bottle," she ordered.

"Just a rum and Nuka for me," Ava asked.

The waiter nodded and disappeared, quickly returning with their drinks.

Cass ignored the glass the waiter set in front of her and settled for pulling the cap off her bottle of whiskey with her teeth. She noticed Ava taking small sips from her glass of rum and blew air out her pursed lips in frustration before grudgingly grabbing the glass and pouring herself a more moderate amount to drink.

Ava smiled as she sipped her drink as Cass struggled to sip her drink at a measured pace. Cass caught the look behind the glass and grunted at her, "What are you laughing at, pipsqueak?"

Ava lowered her drink, but continued smiling wryly. "Kid was almost preferable to pipsqueak."

Cass shrugged and said, "I call it like I see it."

"I bet," Ava said, grinning mischievously. "What was your nickname for Knox?"

Cass made a face at her and refused to answer.

Ava stretched in her seat, still smiling. "Ah, come on. You wouldn't talk earlier cause we didn't have alcohol. Now we do."

"Don't you know how to drop something?" Cass asked irritably, reaching for her bottle of whiskey before remembering she'd poured some into a glass.

"I traveled across the continent with Knox. My social skills, abysmal as they are, were worse before I'd met him. I've learned a lot from him. So no. Not really."

"Knox is a shitty example."

Ava nodded with a laugh and held her glass up in the air. "To shitty examples."

"I'm not toasting, Knox," Cass replied, but she still clinked her glass with Ava's. After a moment, Cass muttered, "Ah fuck it. To shitty examples."

Ava cocked her head at the change of heart, prompting Cass to continue. "Knox isn't a shitty example. He's not a bad guy, no matter how fucking pissed I am at him. He's actually a good guy. One of the few I've ever met."

"So what happened?"

"We had problems." Cass narrowed her eyes at Ava. "Problems I'm not going to discuss with you, no matter how much you pry, pipsqueak."

Ava held up her hands and smiled serenely, silently promising she wouldn't pursue it.

"I really shouldn't even be mad at him right now. It's my own damn fault."

"Really? Knox said it was his fault," Ava interjected.

Cass took another burning gulp of whiskey, draining her glass. She grabbed her bottle and refilled. "That's just like him. Blames himself. And got me a fucking gift to boot… _asshole_."

Ava sat silently listening as Cass took another drink, composing herself. "It's not that Knox didn't tell me he was leaving to go-… well I guess to go find you actually, it's that he didn't have the chance to. This doesn't leave this table," Cass warned before continuing. "I was drunk. Like passed out. Knox was in town to say bye and I was out cold over a toilet."

Ava froze at the surprising admission as Cass once again drained her glass and refilled it. Cass wouldn't look up from her drink.

The two lapsed into uncomfortable silence for a few moments; the quiet occasionally being punctuated by the rattling of ice cubes in their glasses. Ava sat struggling to think of something to say to break the tension, but Cass beat her to it.

"So you and Veronica, huh?"

Ava stared at her blankly, the words not processing.

"Together?" Cass tried again. Still no reaction. Cass sighed and held up her hands. She made a ring with her left thumb and index finger and repeatedly inserted her right index finger into it. She paused for a moment with her crude example and stuck her tongue out thoughtfully before switching her hands into two fists and smacking them together.

Understanding dawned on Ava's face and she blushed furiously. She reached across the table nearly knocking her drink over in an attempt to stop Cass's furiously banging hands.

"Is it that obvious?" Ava gasped, utterly mortified.

"Uh… yeah," Cass replied. Ava smacked her head into the table and covered it with her arms. Cass could faintly hear muffled cursing. "What? Trying to keep it a secret?"

Ava peaked up; her face mostly covered by her fingers, and mumbled, "Yes."

"And how's that working out for you?"

Ava sat up from the table and slouched deeply into the cushions of the booth. "I get it. I'm a coward about stuff like that. I'm not good with people, yadda, yadda, yadda. I just figured if I didn't tell her, I couldn't ruin it."

Cass held up a hand, stopping Ava. "Wait, tell her? Don't you mean tell anybody?"

"Well, yeah. I don't want anyone to know. Her especially though."

"Her who?" Cass asked in confusion.

"Uh… Veronica?" Ava answered, looking at Cass like she was an idiot.

"How is it possible that it's a secret from Veronica that the two of you are banging? And don't get snarky with me, pipsqueak."

It was Ava's turn to look at Cass in utter confusion. "We're not banging. I mean, I'd like to be, but- I- it doesn't matter. I just… I'm too chicken to tell her I like her."

Cass stared at Ava in dumbstruck silence for a few moments before loudly and uncontrollably laughing. Ava looked at the mirth-stricken woman in shock. This was not the reaction she'd been expecting. Cass began to laugh so hard her cowboy hat fell off and she spilled whiskey on herself.

"Cass!" Ava hissed. "CASS! Stop laughing!"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Cass managed to gasp. "That was just too funny." Cass wiped a tear from her eyes and gave one more, happy chuckle. "I needed that, Ava. I really did."

"I'm glad you find amusement in my misery," Ava grumbled. She crossed her arms, pouting.

Cass looked at her and rolled her eyes. "Don't be like that. You two are perfect for each other!"

"Are we talking about the same sweet, nice, not-weird girl of my dreams?"

"Yes, we are," Cass said dryly. "We are talking about the same punch-happy, tech-headed, Brotherhood scribe who like girls who make a deathclaw run for the hills."

Ava sat up in her seat ramrod straight. "What? WHAT!?" she practically shrieked.

Cass froze, her glass halfway to her mouth. "Er… what?"

Ava tried to stand to her feet in outrage, but instead rammed her kneecaps into the table and collapsing back into her seat. Cass watched mildly amused as Ava cursed in pain and struggled to get to her feet.

"I'm going to kill him! I'm going to KILL HIM!"

"Who?" asked Cass, trying not to laugh.

"Knox! He knew all along and just watched while I made a fool of myself! He knew she was she was a lesbian! I AM GOING TO KILL HIM!" Ava tried to get to her feet and exit the booth again, but Cass caught her and pulled her back down into her seat.

"As entertaining as it would be to watch you pummel Knox into oblivion, and believe me that would be entertaining, maybe you should try something a bit more positive."

"Like what?" Ava spat out, still fuming.

"Maybe go talk to Veronica?"

The anger bled out of Ava almost instantly and left her a stammering wreck. "N-no. N- no w-way! I can't just t-talk to her! I'm not good at that!"

"You seem just fine at talking," Cass tried to counter, but Ava shook her hands in front of her and frowned. Cass sighed in frustration. Matchmaker was not her thing. "Why don't you get her something nice then?"

"Like what?"

"Buy her a plasma rifle or something. Oh! I know. She likes Fancy Lad Snack Cakes," Cass suggested. "Or you could just try getting her drunk and seducing her. You know, nice clothes, nice booze, the works. Wear exciting underwear or something."

Cass took a long gulp from her drink as Ava practically fell out of the booth in an attempt to get up. Cass gave her a look with a raised eyebrow as she got back to her feet and slammed the remains of her rum and Nuka. Without a second glance at Cass, Ava took off sprinting away from the table.

Over her shoulder she shouted, "I have sexy underwear!" before disappearing from the Zoara Club.

Cass just refilled her glass again and said to herself, "Whatever, pipsqueak."

**May 28, 2280**

**17:00**

**The Lucky 38**

Knox walked down the hallway next to Veronica. She'd been shopping around at Michael Angelo's for spare parts and had caught him in time to hold the elevator for her. They'd made the normal small talk and were now discussing Ava. Or rather her disappearance.

"I figured she'd come find me after you two were done with your super-secret meeting, but she never did. So I went out onto the Strip to look for her, but then you know… distractions." Veronica tried to gesture with her arms, but they were too full of bits and pieces of metal and wiring.

"I'm sure she's fine. Might have gotten in a few fights, but she's fine. I guarantee it. She'll wander back in," Knox assured her.

They stopped at Veronica's door and Knox bid her goodnight before turning and continuing down the hallway towards his own room.

"Uh… Knox?" Veronica called.

Knox turned back around, eyebrows raised expectantly.

"The door?" she asked.

"Ah, yes, right."

Knox quickly returned to her and grabbed her keys from where they were precariously hanging upon a finger. He opened the door and his eyes widened at the sight that greeted him.

Strewn haphazardly across Veronica's bed was Ava dressed in nothing, but lacy, extremely revealing underwear. She was laying in what he could only guess was meant to be a sultry position and surrounded by hundreds of Fancy Lads Snack Cakes. An unwrapped cake sat upon her breast just covering her Brotherhood of Steel tattoo.

Ava met Knox's eyes, her own widening in panic and horror. Before she could shout, Knox held up a finger, silencing her. He closed his eyes and made a face before backing out of the room.

"Uh, Knox? What are you doing?" asked Veronica from behind him.

Knox turned around, wresting the parts from Veronica before bodily shoving her into her room and slamming the door with his boot.

Veronica stumbled into the room with a startled yelp. "Knox! What the hell? I-… oh," she said as her eyes fell on Ava.

"Ooooohhhh."

_Hope you all enjoyed it! Been waiting to get here for a while. Also we're now eight chapters in! That's around half the length of the other two parts each. And I haven't even started the main storyline yet! HAHA! That's crazy right? We'll be doing this for a while and I hope you all stick with me. Leave a review saying what you liked, what you hope to see, and what you demand to have happen! I'll laugh pleasantly at the first two and ignore the third. Well, maybe I'll pay attention to it if it's particularly awesome._


	9. Breakfast in Bed

_What's this? Another chapter? You lucky devils. Writing this was a little weird for me. Not really sure how to explain it. Had a few jokes I wanted to eek out and just kind of built a chapter around itself. The more I put down the more it wrote itself. So there's that. Anyway, I hope you all like it. Read, enjoy, and review. Please do review guys it's very helpful for me to see what parts you all particularly like so I can bring you more of what you love._

**May 29, 2280**

**07:00**

**The Lucky 38**

**Cocktail Lounge**

Ava sat on her haunches dressed in a faded, baggy pair of red sweatpants and a t-shirt she'd borrowed from Veronica. She'd had to role the cuffs up on the legs and they kept slipping down when she walked so she wasn't too surprised that Veronica had pawned them off on her. In fact she wondered why the Scribe ever owned them. They'd _never _fit the shorter woman.

She sighed in frustration from her position on the floor and leaned forward until her head rested against the top of the cabinet she was currently tearing through.

No food.

Scattered around on the floor behind her were multiple bottles of alcohol and numerous bags of cocktail umbrellas, but nothing edible enough to be called breakfast was anywhere in this godforsaken lounge. And breakfast in bed had been such a promising idea.

Ava gave a groan and fell over backwards, giving up. Her head fell right in front of a very familiar pair of cowboy boots. Looking up at the Courier, her eyes widened. Despite being so early in the morning, the Courier was already dressed and ready to go, armor and guns in place, but his sudden appearance caused Ava to awkwardly jump to her feet. Being frustratingly sneaky was her thing. His was just being frustrating in general.

Attempting to act natural, Ava leaned against the counter of bar, one hand drumming nervously against the marble top and the other clamped to her waist keeping the ill-fitting pants up.

"Good morning, Knox," she said before wincing. Yeah, she never wished him good morning. Way not to act weird. "How… are… you?" she finished slowly.

Knox looked at her strangely. Yep, definitely not normal. Way to go, she mentally chided herself.

"I'm great, Ava… How are you? Not feeling… murderous?" Knox replied, eyeing her warily. "Cass mentioned you were a tad irate."

"No, no. I'm fine," Ava tried to assure him without meeting his eye. The look on his face upon discovering her trying to seduce Veronica was burned into her mind. She suspected a very different, unsettling image was burned into his. "Wait, Cass told you? She talked to you?"

Knox walked over to the bar and pulled a stool out, sitting down on it. "Yeah. She did. I was surprised," he said haltingly. "She mentioned you two talked."

Desperate to keep the conversation going and avoid talking about the very obvious awkwardness between them Ava quickly said, "Yeah! We talked! She took me to Gomorrah, we had some drinks, we talked, and yeah… we talked."

Knox raised an eyebrow as Ava managed to just keep repeating the same thing. Thankfully he took mercy on her and shouldered the burden of the conversation.

"The two of you meeting and talking to each other is actually a nightmarish prospect for me," he admitted with a shrug. "Was, I should say. You two talked and instead of you two forming a coalition to kill me, you both seem far less angry than you should be."

"Well, I don't know about _should be_," Ava said quietly. Knox looked at her expectantly, waiting to hear more. She stuck her tongue out at him, but still said, "I'm not sure what happened between you and Cass, but even she said it wasn't all your fault."

"She did?" Knox asked bewildered. "She said that?"

"Maybe with more swearing, but yeah mostly. And as for me…" she trailed off, hoping Knox would drop it.

"And as for you…" he prompted. No way in hell was he going to drop it.

"I suppose," she started begrudgingly, "that you were trying to tell me about Veronica and I was being a bitch."

"Apology accepted," Knox laughed at her, clapping a hand against the bar top.

"I'm not apologizing," she deadpanned, giving him a harsh look. "You were an ass. You _are_ an ass."

Knox smirked and waggled his eyebrows at her. "What? So you didn't have a wonderful night with Veronica?"

Ava blanched. So, Knox was willing to bring it up. Making her squirm was apparently higher on his priority list than forgetting things he'd rather he'd never seen. Two could play at that game.

"It's not like I had sex with her," Ava said loudly, emphasizing 'sex'. "Hot, sweaty, sex, all night long."

With each word, Knox slowly screwed his face up more and more until he cut her off by frantically waving his hands.

"Stop! Stop, please! I regret pursuing this line of inquiry. The thought of you doing something as normal and naked as fucking is profoundly unsettling." Comprehension stopped his rambling. "And I- I…" He looked at her uncertainly. "You said you didn't?"

Ava's eyes widened. Oops. Neither of them had the power to stop this conversation. It just kept going, seemingly of its own accord. Fucking wonderful.

"Well… no."

"Why not?" Knox asked and immediately shook his head in irritation at himself. He didn't want to know!

"Well, I mean I could have!" Ava defended herself. "Everything was great, let me tell you!"

"No, don't. Don't tell me. _Please god_, don't tell me."

It was Ava's turn to be irritated and she flicked him on the nose, causing him to jerk back and nearly topple out of his chair.

"Shut up. No, we didn't have sex. We decided it was… too soon."

"Yeah, I like to wait at least 12 hours before borking a girl I might want to have a relationship with," Knox ribbed, grinning widely.

Ava swatted at him again, but it was playful with no malice. "I thought I told you to shut up. No we just kind of talked. It was actually really nice."

Knox looked at her in disbelief, gently tugging the end of one side of his mustache. "You… talked?" He placed his hands flat on the counter and leaned towards her. "The stunning, tech-savvy, punch-happy girl of your dreams… and you just talked? You expect me to believe that?"

"Well, we ate all the Snack Cakes too. Which was not so good an idea. My stomach actually still hurts a bit. That frosting is heavy stuff."

"Yeah, real sticky situation," Knox said, gently shaking his head in disappointment.

"Sticky is right! I had to lick that frosting off all sorts of things," Ava slyly said suggestively.

Knox nearly toppled out of his chair in surprise again as he exclaimed, "I thought you _didn't_ have sex!"

"Foreplay doesn't count," Ava replied dismissively. "Now where is the food around here? I want to bring something to Veronica before she wakes up."

With one hand Knox pinched the bridge of his nose, with his other he pointed to one of the upper cabinets Ava hadn't checked yet. Pulling open the cabinet doors, she was delighted to find massive stores of all manner of food. Her eyes alighted on boxes of cereal on the top shelf.

As she clambered onto the countertop to reach up for the boxes she heard Knox's chair scrape across the floor.

"Well, now that I've helped you find breakfast and our conversation has planted the urgent need to scrub my brain out with Abraxo cleaner, I'll be taking my leave."

Without looking to see the Courier stand up and head for the elevator, Ava asked, "Where are you going anyway?"

"Errands to run and such. Shopping, the like."

Ava hmmed impassively as she held a box of cereal in each hand, trying to gauge which would taste better.

"One question though, Ava."

She turned and looked over her shoulder at Knox. He was standing next to the elevator grinning. She was immediately suspicious.

"Because I know you haven't done any shopping here in New Vegas, I have to ask: did you carry that lingerie all the way from DC? Because the hearts on the back aren't quite your style."

Ava's mouth dropped open slightly as she tried to figure out Knox's intimate familiarity with her underwear before realizing that with a box of cereal in either hand, no hands were left holding up her sweatpants, leaving Knox with an unobstructed view of her ass.

Knox quickly stepped into the elevator as a box of cereal exploded on the wall next to him. With a small click the doors shut, leaving Ava alone in the lounge, silently fuming.

**The Lucky 38**

**07:30**

As quietly as she could (which was quite quiet), Ava opened the door back into Veronica's room. To her dismay the Scribe was awake and seated in bed, tinkering with… something. Ava knew her way around a computer, but the Brotherhood girl's familiarity with all things mechanical was awe-inspiring.

Veronica looked up from her work with a bright smile. "You're back," she said happily. "I woke up and you were gone. Thought I'd just had a really great dream, but then I noticed all the Fancy Lad's wrappers everywhere and frosting in certain… areas."

Ava smirked as she crossed the room, a bowl of cereal in either hand. "I thought I got all the frosting. I'll just have to try harder next time."

Veronica chuckled and shoved her pile of electronics onto the floor with a clang. She kissed Ava gently on the cheek and accepted a bowl of cereal from her before scooching over and making room on the bed.

"Oooh, cereal. How romantic," she teased as Ava leaned up against her.

"I can always take it back."

Veronica made a big show of putting a huge spoonful of cereal in her mouth and chewing with her eyes blissfully shut. "Cereal… sooooo good!" Veronica cracked one eye open. "That better?"

Ava replied, "Much," before taking a bite of her own breakfast. "I wasn't sure between the frosted kind and the honey kind. Knox made an easy choice when he made me throw the honey kind at him, so frosted it was."

Veronica quirked an eyebrow at her. "He made you throw them at him?" Ava gave no response and kept eating. Veronica grinned and said, "Luckily, I happen to love the frosted kind. Did you and Knox talk about him walking in on you?"

Ava began to cough and splutter as she inhaled the cereal in her mouth. Veronica laughed and clapped her on the back. Ava nodded thankfully as Veronica continued to rub her hand across her back soothingly.

"Please don't choke to death. That'd really put a damper on my year."

"Choking to death is not high on my list of ways to go," Ava assured her. "And yes, we did talk about it. More like he made fun of me."

"And why did he make fun of you?" Veronica asked innocently.

Ava narrowed her eyes at her. She could almost see a tarnished little halo floating above her head. Nice try Santangelo.

"Well I _told_ him we just talked all night."

Veronica chuckled darkly. "Oh-ho! Imagine what he'd have said if you'd told him the truth."

"Truth that you're _never _going to tell him," Ava threatened with a growl.

Veronica laughed musically again. "Of course not. Not when I can hold it over you so I can have my way with you whenever I want."

Ava wrapped an arm around Veronica and kissed her on the cheek. "You don't need black mail to do that. I'm pretty easy." Catching the look in Veronica's eye, Ava stumbled over her words trying to clarify. "I mean easy to black mail, I mean- no, that's wrong. For you! Easy for you! Oh god…"

"You are adorable when you can't figure out what to say."

"Then I'm adorable way too often."

Veronica made a dismissive noise and took another bite of cereal. With her mouthful she mumbled, "No such thing as too often. Though I still can't believe you licked a fission battery."

Ava threw her hands in the air. "I thought we weren't going to talk about that!"

"No, I said I wouldn't tell Knox about it," Veronica teased. "I'm still going to make fun of you for it."

"Look. Cass said you liked technology and stuff," Ava tried to explain, blushing furiously. "I thought it would be sexy."

"Yeah, real sexy holding your hair back while you puked your guts up. How do Fancy Lad Snack Cakes taste on the way back up?"

Ava hugged her knees to her chest and buried her head. Veronica could barely make out the half-hearted retort of, "About as good as they do going down."

Veronica gasped. "Take that back! There will be no bad-mouthing Fancy Lads in here!"

Ava was quiet. Still hiding her face in embarrassment. Veronica shook her head in amusement and went back to her cereal. Eventually Ava disengaged her grip from her legs and returned to her breakfast as well.

"So what did you tell Knox we talked about?" Veronica asked, her head cocked to the side.

Ava blew some hair out of her eyes and looked at Veronica funny. "Why?"

"Because any of the talking we did was really trivial and boring and stuff like me asking you if you were going to die curled up on my floor in misery. I was wondering if you told him we talked about something interesting like what your mystery person background is and stuff."

"My mystery person background? Really?" Ava asked, smirking and still trying to fruitlessly blow her hair out her face. Veronica took pity on her and reached over and tucked it behind her ear.

"You need a haircut," she said.

"I know," Ava replied. "I have way too much hair right now."

"You usually keep it trimmed?"

"I usually have a Mohawk."

Veronica grinned and said, "Hot." She laid back into her pillows and threw her arms out to the side. "And despite how distracting it is picturing you behawked and badass, I'm not going to be dissuaded. My mind is set. Do you know what Knox told me when he first met me?"

"What?"

"I asked him where he was coming from. He said, 'from the grave' all cryptic like." She grabbed a pillow, one-handed and smacked Ava in the back. "And now you're doing it too! It's infuriating because you… are… fascinating!"

As she said that she ran a slow finger over one of the many scars decorating Ava's body. This one looked like some sort of bite mark. Ava shivered as her fingers ran over it.

Ava lay back onto her side, staring into Veronica's eyes. Veronica kept absentmindedly running her hand along the scar on her shoulder.

"What do you want to know?" Ava asked.

"I don't know. Tell me a story about you."

"Like what?"

"Well… where did you get this? It looks like somebody bit you!"

Ava looked away suddenly uncomfortable. "Somebody did, I guess. A feral ghoul." Ava sat up and huffed unhappily.

Veronica sat up next to her. She rested her hands on either shoulder in concern. "What is it?"

With a swallow, Ava reached up with one hand and threaded her fingers into Veronica's. Ava didn't trust many people. And to be honest she barely knew Veronica, but…

But her instincts had very rarely led her wrong. And she believed whole-heartedly that in regards to Veronica they were telling the truth. She could trust her.

"I don't… have a lot of happy stories," she said slowly.

"It's okay. You don't have to say anything," Veronica assured her. Ava shook her head. She did.

"I… I _want_ to tell you." Her fingers traced over the bite mark. "I got bit by a feral ghoul when I was a drug-crazed mercenary." Ava felt Veronica's fingers tighten in her hand, but they didn't draw away. Ava lifted up her freehand and showed the numbers on her wrist.

"This is the tattoo I got when I was enslaved." She pulled Veronica's hand off her shoulder and ran it down her right arm until it rested above the Calaveras brand. "This is the mark of the gang that bought me." She brought the hand back up and to her face, Veronica's fingers traced the fine scar crossing from the bottom of Ava's left eye and up onto her forehead. "This is from a grenade I tried to kill myself with."

Veronica's hand twitched and she nearly pulled away, but Ava held her firm. She grabbed Veronica's hand and held one hand on either of her upper arms. Fine little scars crisscrossed both arms.

"These are from when I dove in front of a shotgun blast to save Knox." She lifted her shirt and let Veronica feel the ragged mark in her side left by a sniper rifle. "Here I got shot by a sniper trying to save an entire town when Knox was bringing me here," Ava said with a watery smile, tears threatening to spill over.

She held both of Veronica's hands over her right. "And this is the hand you broke when we met."

Ava nearly fell out of the bed when Veronica threw her arms around her, effectively tackling her and mashing their lips together.

After a few moments, they separated for breath. "Sorry," Veronica apologized, rubbing one hand on the back of her neck, the other still firmly held by Ava. "I had to do that. It was necessary. Like absolutely."

Ava shrugged with a small smile. "Well, if it was necessary, I guess it's okay."

Ava jumped to her feet suddenly and pulled Veronica with her. "Come on."

"Where are we going?"

"To take a shower. You said you were still slightly sticky and I just like the obscene wastefulness of taking a shower. It's my new favorite commodity."

"Showers are nice," Veronica agreed, allowing herself to be pulled towards the door. "Oh, you know what we can do? Compare Brotherhood tattoos! I've been dying to inspect yours more closely."

"Because it's the Lyon's Pride?"

Veronica snorted. "Don't be ridiculous. Because it's on your boob."

**10:00**

**Mojave**

**Camp Golf**

A man in a red beret sat quietly on a stack of sandbags, observing the NCR base around him quietly behind his sunglasses. He swatted a mosquito bravo enough to land on one of his bare arms. The bug tried to escape, but left nothing except a smear on his bicep.

The man reached into one of the pouches lining the bandoleer stretched across his chest and drew out a rag. He wiped the smear off his arm before replacing the rag.

He sighed sadly as he watched a group of soldiers fail miserably to hit targets less than twenty feet away. _He _could hit one of those with his eyes closed just by guessing. You'd have to be trying not to hit them!

"How goes it, Boone!"

The startlingly cheerful voice broke the man out of his reverie. Boone looked to his right to see a very familiar Courier walking towards him and waving.

"Knox," he greeted sullenly.

Knox took a seat next to him and looked at the same soldiers Boone was watching. "You're only going to put yourself in a bad mood watching the Misfits. They're certainly no 1st Recon."

"That they are not," he agreed. "Sergeant McCredie asked me to take a look. See if I noticed anything."

"And?" Knox asked with a grin.

"Undisciplined, lazy, and no spirit."

"And what are you going to do about it?"

Boone stood up and slung his rifle over his back. He grabbed his canteen off the ground and clipped it next to his machete.

"Nothing," he said simply. "I'm not NCR anymore. I take it you're here with a mission?"

"Perceptive as always, Boone. I _do _ have a mission. You're going to Red Rock Canyon."

Boone froze. "Is that really a good idea?" he asked his back turned to Knox.

"How could it not be? Papa forgave us. Well not _us_. He forgave you actually."

Boone turned around and gave Knox a critical look. "He hung us from our ankles for two days."

"Two days at the end of which he didn't shoot us. Relax Boone. You cleared your slate with the Khans."

"I… suppose," he begrudgingly admitted. "Why do you need me to head there?"

"Legion is starting another push into the Mojave. I don't want them turning any tribes to their side. Lilly is in Westside checking in with Mean Sonofabitch on the Scorpions and I sent Raul out last night with ED-E to put some fear back into the Jackals and Vipers. Khans are all that's left."

"Fiends?"

Knox snorted. "In what universe would Motor-Runner work with Caesar?"

Boone stood quietly for a few moments. "Fair point." With that, Boone started to walk away, the conversation apparently over.

Knox called after him. "If I'm not along in two weeks, feel free to come back to New Vegas.

Boone swallowed. Two weeks with the Khans. Great.

Just great.

_TADA! BOONE! And you might be sitting there saying, "Doesn't that tease some past experience between Knox and one of the companions? Man I wish I could hear all about that story." Well you are in luck! Next time will be a double post in "Dead Man's Hand" and "The Wasteland Journals of Mr. Knox". Exciting isn't it? As always please review and to all new followers and favoriters thank you for your support. It means a great deal to me. See you next time!_


	10. Future vs Past

_Look! What's that? Another chapter! Yaayyyyyy! And beyond it being another chapter, it's a plot moving chapter! Ooooo! Important! No long winded author's note at the beginning this time. Just get to reading!_

_Oh and there's a new story in "The Wasteland Journal of Mr. Knox". Go read it!_

**May 31, 2280**

**13:30**

**The Lucky 38**

The buzzing of the clippers in her ear made Ava's teeth rattle slightly, but she forced herself to sit still despite the itchy feeling in her jaw. She sat perched cross-legged on a chair in the Lucky 38 bathroom. Cass was above her, deftly wielding the clippers and removing swaths of Ava's hair in order to restore her prized Mohawk to prominence.

Below them, Veronica was sitting on the floor, leaning against the bathroom wall, reading a fashion magazine. Every once in a while she'd look up at Ava and smile before quickly looking away.

Eventually Ava had to ask, "Veronica, what are you looking at?"

Veronica nearly dropped her magazine and blushed in surprise. She absentmindedly fiddled with her hair in one hand. "Sorry, I was just imagining you dropping that towel in some sort of blaze of naked glory."

The towel in question, Ava was clutching over her bare chest. She didn't want to get hair all over her shirt, so she'd opted not to wear one. At Veronica's now obvious ogling, she nearly did drop it in an attempt to cross both arms across her chest, but Cass trapped her arms to her sides.

"Stop moving! Or do you want it to be crooked?" Cass turned her irate gaze on Veronica. "And you! Do you even think about the words that come out of your damned mouth?"

Veronica shrugged. "Not really."

"And that's never gotten you in trouble?" Cass questioned. "Never pissed anybody off? You've never said something you regret?"

With a roll of her eyes, Veronica replied, "Well sure, of course that's happened. I mean I don't regret that." She pointed at Ava's chest, causing her to blush again. Veronica smiled sweetly at Cass. "Actually, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have to use my imagination if you weren't here, Cass!"

Cass shook her head and returned to trimming Ava's hair. "Is that true?" she asked, addressing Ava. Ava opened her mouth to answer, but Cass pinched her ear and said, "No talking. I'm almost done."

Ava frowned unhappily at being asked questions and then told to shut up. It was annoying. Especially with Veronica grinning at her from behind the pages of her magazine. She couldn't see the Scribe's mouth, but she could see the smile in her eyes glistening brightly.

The clippers clicked off and Cass stepped around to observe her handiwork. She stood with one hand on a hip and the other holding her chin up. Her tongue stuck out as she cast a critical eye on the girl seated in front of her.

"What do you think, Veronica? How badly did I do?"

Ava's eyebrows shot up at the last remark in panic, but she was calmed when Veronica said, "Beautiful! In an 'I'm going to kick your ass sort of way'."

Ava smiled broadly at the praise and gave Cass a quick thumbs up before turning to look at herself in one of the mirrors of the bathroom. Cass had outdone herself. Her hair looked great. No Anthony Ling, but she doubted anyone could stand up to the flamboyant designer's talents. Frankly she was amazed that someone who drank as much as Cass could walk straight let alone cut hair. Cass's liver was something of an amazement. Regardless, Ava was pleased.

"Thanks, Cass!" she chirped happily. She turned her back on the other two and dropped the towel, reaching over to her belongings to grab her shirt. She lifted the garment up over her head to put it on. As the clothing fell over her ears, she heard the door to the bathroom open.

"Howdy, ladies! Fancy meeting you here!"

"Ahhh! Victor, what are you doing here!?" Veronica cried in surprise, dropping her magazine to the floor.

Ava jumped at the sudden intrusion of the robot and stumbled, trying to pull her shirt down over her head. Instead she just succeeded in flashing everyone in the room for a few moments, until she could pull her head through the correct hole in her shirt.

Cass rolled her eyes at Ava's antics and turned to Victor. "Where else would we be Victor? This is the women's restroom."

Victor either didn't process the acidic remark or chose to ignore it. "Miss Ava, the boss would like a word with you. Vacation's over, I think."

"Ooooooo! Mr. House wants to talk to you," Veronica squealed excitedly. "I bet it's important. You better go talk to him, like now!" She pushed Ava into the hallway with Victor and shut the door to the bathroom behind her.

Ava could hear Cass's muffled voice ask, "Why did you just shut us in here?"

She couldn't help, but laugh at Veronica's hushed reply, "Shush! Don't spoil the drama!" as Victor herded her to the elevator.

Allowing herself to be guided in, Ava stood back as Victor clicked the buttons. The doors shut between them and she began to ascend. As they reopened, another robot was waiting, once again wearing Victor's cartoonish grin.

"Right this way, Miss Ava!" his electronic voice warbled. He rolled along next to her as they approached House's office. Knox was waiting, leaning against a wall, his fingers nervously drumming against A Light Shining in Darkness's snakeskin grip.

"Ava," he greeted.

She immediately knew something was wrong. She'd never seen Knox nervous like this. He wouldn't stop moving and twitching at every sound. Whatever House wanted, Knox didn't like it. She might sometimes have been as observant as a brick when dealing with people's feelings, but Knox's discomfort was almost animal like in its intensity, and that she could read like a book.

"What's wrong, Knox?" her voice soft and eyes focused on him.

Knox looked up in alarm as she asked him. He opened his mouth and Ava could almost tell a denial was going to slip out reflexively, but he caught it on the edge of his tongue. He mulled it over for a moment and looked like he was going to speak again, but Victor interrupted.

"No time for chit-chat I'm afraid. The boss was real specific. He wanted to talk to Miss Ava. _Now_," the robot interjected, unaware of the tense atmosphere.

Knox nodded jerkily and stood off the wall. He looked to Ava and said, "I'm not entirely comfortable with what House is about to ask you to do. But, well… that's the game now. You work for him just like I do."

He clapped a hand on her shoulder and hurried off towards the elevator. Ava started like she was going to go after him, but Victor rolled between the two, his frozen cowboy's face smiling unblinkingly at her. She glared at the stupid robot, but allowed him to usher her through the doors into House's office.

Mr. House's face was already present on the screen and waiting for her. "Ah, Ms. Mitchell, thank you for joining me on such short notice. I know I promised you a vacation, but opportunity calls. An opportunity we cannot allow to pass by."

Ava nodded, bidding the man to continue.

"The three main casinos on the Strip are run by the three families. The Gomorrah is run by the Omertas, the Ultra Lux by the White Glove Society, and the Tops by the Chairmen," he explained to her, his voice drawling pedantically.

As urgent as this opportunity was, and she didn't doubt it after seeing Knox so wired, House sure managed to still talk a lot.

"The leader of the Chairmen used to be in my employ. I suppose you could say he is Mr. Knox's predecessor. Benny, is his name. Benny is traitor, Ms. Mitchell."

"Is?" Ava interrupted, ignoring the brief flicker of static at House's irritation at his speech being disrupted. "I feel like you don't take betrayal lightly. Why is Benny still an 'is' and not a 'was'?"

"I was just going to explain that my dear," House said heatedly, his tone quickly shushing Ava. "Benny's status as the leader of the Chairmen is why he remains alive. The leader of a powerful group is not easily dispatched. Especially when he's been missing for some time. I've suspected he's been gone from the Tops, but have had no way to verify that. The Chairmen's security prevents me from using any of my usual means or hiring someone to investigate. And my usual resource, Mr. Knox, isn't viable. He's… known to Benny."

"And now he's back in New Vegas?" Ava asked, quickly catching on.

"Indeed he is," House affirmed. "He was spotted by one of my securitrons travelling through Westside towards the Strip two days ago. Last night I heard chatter of an irate visitor to the Strip mentioning a man wearing a checkered suit. That is Benny's traditional garb. I've spent the night tracking down any other leads and I can tell you that Benny is most assuredly back in New Vegas."

Ava wandered across the room and looked out the window to the glittering roof of the Tops. Was she to be an assassin? Nothing wrong with that, but still she felt underutilized. Killing people was easy.

"You want me to kill him?" she asked House.

"Kill him? Eventually yes. However, despite being very difficult to dispose of, not that I don't have faith in your abilities," House added quickly to soothe her pride, "but Benny has something of mine I want recovered. A poker chip."

"A poker chip? Don't you like live over a casino? I mean-…" she trailed off under the disapproving stare of House's portrait and realized he wasn't done explaining. "Sorry," she murmured.

"Quite. As I was saying. A poker chip, a _platinum chip_, was taken by Benny. He stole it before leaving my employ. That chip is of great importance to me."

Ava pondered that for a moment. She could understand why House would want a platinum chip. Platinum would be excellent for storing data on and as evidenced by the large number of robots and the fact that House communicated solely through a computer she could see why he would use such a device for transferring data. What data though was the question.

"Why do you need the chip?"

"That is something you don't need to know. Oh don't look so offended," he chastised her. "If you recover the chip we'll talk further. On that you can trust me. I have big plans. And they hinge on that chip!"

Ava nodded, not trusting herself to speak without saying something potentially annoying again. Usually she had no censor around people. She just kind of said things. Around Knox she went out of her way to say something purposefully obnoxious. That line of conversation wouldn't fly with Mr. House.

"I need you to recover it. Benny has the platinum chip and I need you to get it from him." Ava nodded again in understanding. "And then kill him."

Ah, so she was still an assassin. Shouldn't be a problem. Ava started to go, but House called her back.

"I believe my faith in your abilities is well placed, Ms. Mitchell. You are easily as capable as Mr. Knox and in this situation you have the ability to go where he cannot. Good luck. We'll talk more upon completion of your assignment. And Ms. Mitchell?"

Ava looked at him with an eyebrow raised expectantly.

"Time is sensitive. Do not delay."

Ava gave one more nod, closer to a short bow and walked out of the room. Heading to the elevator and back down to the Presidential Suite, Ava pondered the nature of her "assignment" as House had put it. Political intrigue was afoot in New Vegas; a traitor, a theft, and a mysterious artifact. She'd have done this job plainly because it was interesting. It was so much like an old holovid. If only everything was black and white. That'd be amazing.

Ava shook her head with a small snort. Don't get distracted, she chided herself. This was important because House thought it was important. She just had to trust that the chip was important to helping the Mojave. And honestly? That wasn't particularly difficult to do.

As the doors slid open to the suites Ava almost walked headlong into Veronica. The Scribe jerked back in surprise, her hood falling back off her hair.

"Oh! You're done? Knox is usually talking to House way longer than that!" she said with a bright smile. She wrapped her arms around Ava and pulled her in for a tight hug. She could feel Ava shrug under her grip.

"I think that's because Knox just likes to talk. And talk and talk."

With a laugh Veronica released her and stepped back, Ava's hands held in her own. She asked, "So what did House want? Exploring a vault? Dealing with the Fiends? Finding a talking Deathclaw?"

"Nope. Supposed to kill some guy named Benny," Ava answered, returning Veronica's smile. Her smile quickly fell off her face as Veronica stiffened and let go of her hands. "What is it?" she asked hesitantly.

Veronica chewed on her lip and tapped a foot on her toes behind her nervously. "I'm not sure if it's my place to say. I mean if you don't know."

"I don't." Whatever was up with this Benny character, he made Veronica unhappy. That was reason enough to kill him in Ava's mind, psychotic as that may be. "What's up?"

Veronica continued to act unsure and eventually said, "Sorry, Ava. I… can't tell you." Quickly seeing the hurt expression on her face, Veronica grabbed hold of Ava's hands again. "I'm sorry, I really am, but you just need to talk to Knox!"

Knox? House had said Knox couldn't get into the Tops, but apparently the relationship between the leader of the Chairmen and the Courier was a bit darker than she'd imagined if it could cause motor-mouth-Santangelo to clam up.

Noticing the puzzled expression on Ava's face, Veronica elaborated. "You need to ask Knox about it. It's his… thing, so… I guess I'd feel wrong telling somebody. It's kind of like if I just started telling people all the stuff you told me. It'd just be wrong." As she said this she rubbed a thumb over the tattoo on the inside of her wrist.

Ava nodded in understanding, the hurt at Veronica refusing to tell her already disappearing. She gave the Scribe's hands a squeeze as a signal of forgiveness.

"I guess I'll just have to go ask Knox then," she said, stepping back into the elevator she'd just briefly exited.

Veronica gave a short nod, but continued to look a little offbeat. "You do that," she said with a forced grin. Whatever it was between Knox and Benny really had her weirded out.

Ava selected the casino floor and gave a small wave. As the door began to shut she suddenly perked up and managed to shout out between the sliding doors, "OH! After I get back, I need to go clothing shopping!"

The doors shut fully and Ava never saw the joyously stricken face of Veronica at the idea of shopping with her new girlfriend.

**May 31, 2280**

**14:00**

**The Strip**

Ava found Knox seated on a bench, staring pensively at the front doors of the Tops. A greeter was shouting to all passerby, trying to hawk the benefits of simply stepping through the Tops' double doors; fame, fortune, love, anything and everything. And more than enough people seemed to believe him. Visitors to the Strip were flocking to the casino. And Knox just sat across the street staring.

With her hand planted on the back of the bench, Ava hopped over and plopped down next to Knox, hoping that a dramatic entrance could somehow diffuse how intensely Knox was staring and how already awkward she felt.

"Hiya, Knox!"

Knox didn't even look away from the doors, but instead grunted in acknowledgement. Ava's level of discomfort was almost palpable. So, mission diffuse the tension was a complete failure.

"Sooooo…" Ava tried again, but her second attempt at drawing Knox's attention away from the Tops was about as successful. He didn't even blink. She sighed. "Look, Knox, I take it you already know what House asked me to do, but I don't know what the big deal is."

She immediately winced and regretted her word choice. She did know why it was a big deal. Because it mattered to Knox. What she didn't know was why it mattered.

She tried to clarify by saying, "That came out wrong. I know what the big deal is. I mean, whatever House wants done is probably a big deal, but this especially. You've got some beef with this Benny guy, right?"

As soon as she said Benny's name, Knox's eyes flicked over to her. He gave her a wry grin, but it didn't touch his eyes. "Beef is a mild way of putting it," he said, his voice low. He looked back to the Tops. "House can see the big picture from the top of the Lucky 38, but he has trouble seeing all the smaller bits and pieces that we see day to day."

Knox scratched his chin thoughtfully and tugged on his mustache. Cracking his neck, he leaned back on the bench, throwing his arms over the back and finally relaxing somewhat from his frigid, former posture.

"He didn't tell you my relationship with Benny, did he?" Knox asked suddenly.

Ava nodded, but didn't say anything. She could tell the question was rhetorical.

Knox laughed lightly through his nose, but it was a cold laugh, lacking his usual mirth. He reached up with one hand and pulled off his hat. With the other he lightly tapped his temple, right above his scar.

Understanding dawned on Ava's face. "He…"

"He shot me in the head," Knox affirmed. "He ambushed me with a few goons, robbed me, and executed me. However, he didn't count on me…" he trailed off thoughtfully and put his hat back on. "Well, let's just say the bullet didn't have the intended effect."

"And he's been here in New Vegas this whole time?" Ava asked, her eyes wide. She'd imagined some pretty terrible things based on how Knox and Veronica were acting, but it hadn't even crossed her mind that Benny could be the man who had effectively created Knox. "And you haven't been able to do anything?"

"Not a damned thing," he answered, his voice hard. "I so much as step towards the Tops and hands are on guns. I go through the doors and it becomes a shootout. House wasn't about to let me start a war on the Strip for a small scale grudge match." Knox shook his head in irritation. "However, _in the big picture_, Benny being in possession of the platinum chip is a problem."

"The chip, do you know what it does?" Ava's curiosity got the better of her. She trusted House, but trust didn't do anything to quell the desire for answers.

Knox chuckled softly. "No clue. Fun being in the dark, isn't it?" he asked, his smile widening slightly as Ava huffed unhappily.

"No," she replied with a frown. "It sucks. And I've had plenty of practice being in the dark thanks to _you_," she added.

Knox laughed louder, this one almost as warm as his usual. Ava's frown intensified. Her annoyance was always a source of great amusement.

"So what's your plan?"

Ava leaned forward, placing her elbows on her knees and lacing her fingers together above them. She pondered the question.

"My plan? My plan is to go into the Tops, get the chip from Benny, and then kill him."

Knox chewed on his lip, but the edges of his mouth twitched up slightly. "I like it," he said, "It's simple."

"And before I kill him, I'm going to give him your regards. _Painfully_," Ava said coldly.

"Even better."

_Hope you had fun reading and I especially hope that you had enough fun reading to leave a review! They make me so happy. So if you appreciate the story and the chapter leave a review! Next few chapters are going to be whirlwind of awesome! Ava being a badass, Veronica gushing over dresses, Benny being a prick, and oh! What's that over there!? It's Lilly!_

_Man, I am such a tease. See you all next time._


	11. Her Plan, His Problem

_I enjoyed writing this chapter oh so much and after reading it I think you'll see why. Have fun reading! Leave a review at the end!_

**June 1, 2280**

**15:00**

**The Strip**

When Ava had told Veronica she needed to go shopping, she had imagined perhaps a quiet afternoon with her girlfriend where she could buy a dress to infiltrate the Tops. What she hadn't imagined was the shopping trip turning into an extended mission briefing.

However, that was indeed what it had become. As soon as Knox had heard where the two of them were off to and for what purpose, he had invited himself along.

In a logistics sense his presence was very helpful. He was familiar with Benny and could provide valuable insight. On an emotional level though, Ava couldn't quite shake the mild irritation that Knox had once more managed to interrupt her Veronica-time.

Not that the Scribe seemed to mind at all. Veronica was her usual bubbly self as they strolled from store to store, every once in a while breaking from her monologue on the Strip, the Brotherhood, the Mojave, and life in general, to comment on some article of clothing or some aspect of the plan that Knox and Ava were slowly concocting.

That was another thing Ava was getting more and more irritated with Knox about. The plan. _Her plan_. Rationally, she understood Knox's concerns, but again on an emotional level, his constant second-guessing was beginning to grind on her nerves until she simply couldn't hold it in anymore.

"KNOX!" she shouted, drawing attention from the entire store they were standing in the middle of. The store clerk cast a critical glare at them, but was wise enough not to directly bother the heavily armed trio standing in his store.

Knox had stopped talking with his mouth open, in the middle of questioning whether it was really wise that Ava was going to try to get Benny away from all his guards. In his mind, being alone with Benny was tantamount to suicide. He looked like he was going to continue, but Ava snapped in front of his face to keep him quiet.

"Don't even think about it," she warned. She poked him in the chest. "I understand that some sort of misplaced concern for me is causing you to question me, but it needs to stop." She lowered her voice until it was just a whisper and Knox had to lean in to hear it. "If you don't have faith in me, I don't need to know about it."

Knox let out a long sigh, his shoulders drooping. "It's not that I don't have faith in you. I do. It's just-"

"It's just what?" Ava snapped at him, her voice biting and her irritation bubbling over.

Choosing his words carefully, Knox said, "Benny is dangerous, Ava. You don't know what he's capable of."

Ava rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, her entire body exuding an air of annoyance. "You're right. I don't know what he's capable of. And frankly? You don't know what _I'm_ capable of either!"

Knox tried to argue, but Ava silenced him again by snapping her fingers in front of his face once more.

"You're worried. I get that. This is big to you. _I get that_. But motherfucker you have to let me do this!" Ava narrowed her eyes, daring Knox to try and tell her she was wrong. "Of the two of us, yes, you are the only one who has dealt with Benny and he nearly killed you. My track record of nearly dying is much greater than yours and I'm still here. You got shot in the head and lost your memory."

"Not like you haven't lost anything," Knox grumbled under his breath, refusing to meet Ava's eyes. "Your mind for starters."

Veronica stepped in between the two, trying to diffuse the situation as Ava let out a strangled cry of rage and her knuckles cracked as her fists clenched.

"Alrighty then, why doesn't everyone just calm down a little? Ava? I know he's a colossal ass about it, but Knox is just worried about you."

Ava looked between Veronica and Knox, the struggle of allowing herself to be talked down evident on her face. Apparently Veronica had more sway than bloodlust. Ava simply muttered, "whatever" and studiously looked away from them both.

"Thanks, Veronica," Knox said before looking firmly at Ava. "Glad one of you is thinking straight."

"Shut up!" Veronica growled, punching Knox in the shoulder, her power fist causing the Courier to nearly topple over. "That crack about loss was a low blow. Ava is solving your problem! Show some gratitude and get off her case, you infantile jerk-off!"

Knox opened and closed his mouth in shock a few times, one hand clamped over his now throbbing shoulder. Ava was standing just behind Veronica, a victorious smirk plastered across her face.

"You know, I remember a time when you had my back in arguments, Veronica."

Veronica looked like she was considering punching Knox again, instead she settled for saying, "Yeah? Well, I'm not sleeping with you."

Knox shrugged. "You're not sleeping with her either, so far as I've heard."

Veronica put a restraining hand on Ava's chest as she tried to clamber over her to murder Knox. Pushing Ava back behind her, Veronica looked Knox in the eye with a sickly sweet smile. "Don't worry," she said. "Soon enough. And anyway. This isn't about sides. This is about you," she pointed at Knox, "Having the emotional neediness of a pregnant woman, and you," she pointed at Ava before pausing, "Actually you're not really doing anything wrong in this scenario."

Ava smiled smugly and gave Knox a taunting gaze. Knox ground his hands into his eyes in frustration and growled something indecipherable, but undoubtedly unpleasant.

He threw his hands in the air, exasperated. "You know what? Fine! You don't want my help?" He waved dismissively at them and brushed past, walking quickly towards the exit.

Veronica watched him go, shaking her head sadly. "Well, that went well," she said to Ava, without looking away from the retreating Courier.

"Hey fuck-head!"

"Oh no," Veronica said as Ava stormed after Knox, one arm already wound back to punch Knox in the head.

Knox spun around, the barbed comment he had prepared dying in his throat as Ava's fist collided with his face. The force of the blow knocked him backwards out the double doors of the store. His ankles caught on each other and he twirled around, about to fall face first down the steps into the street below, but instead of falling he impacted with a solid wall of blue muscle.

Before he could react, a gruff voice rumbled, "Oh dearie! Give Grandma a hug!" Powerful arms wrapped around Knox and hauled him off the ground. His face was forcefully ground against a pair of overalls a similar shade of blue to the Nightkin that had picked him up.

Knox's legs pinwheeled fruitlessly in the air, but he still managed to gasp out. "Crushing… ribs!"

The Nightkin let out a booming laugh, the vibrations shaking Knox's teeth. "What's the matter, dearie? Afraid Grandma will embarrass you in front of your little friends?"

The "little friends" in question had just stumbled out the doors after Knox. Ava was staggering along, one hand trying desperately to pull Clarity out of her belt, the other was held high above her head by Veronica. Veronica had her legs wrapped around Ava's waist and was riding her piggy back style, one hand holding Ava's wrist and the other threaded into her Mohawk, trying to steer her anywhere, but towards Knox.

"Let go of me! I'm just going to kill him a little!"

"By definition you can't kill a little. It's kind of an all or nothing thing. Now… sit down!"

Veronica wrenched back on Ava's hair, eliciting a sharp squeal of pain, followed by the two of them toppling over backwards into an undignified heap on the ground, Ava cursing and Veronica apologizing.

"Veronica! Hair pulling is not cool!" Ava howled, trying desperately to unravel Veronica's grip on her head.

"Sorry! I'm sorry!" Veronica repeated, staggering to her feet and pulling Ava up with her, one hand still attached to Ava's wrist in an effort to restrain her.

As soon as they were up, Ava immediately took a step towards Knox, but then noticed his predicament. The Courier was still being embraced against his will. She paused in confusion at the bizarre sight of the Nightkin affectionately nuzzling him, knocking his cowboy hat askew. Knox was still gasping for breath.

"Lily! It's so nice to see you again," Veronica chattered, vainly trying to distract everyone from the previous mood of murder.

The Nightkin, Lily, loosened her grip on Knox slightly and peered down at Veronica from under the brim of her ragged sun hat and through her red tinted goggles. Veronica stood still under her intense scrutiny until the mutant dropped Knox into a heap on the ground and patted Veronica on the head.

Veronica's knees nearly buckled under the patting, but she laughed as Lily said, "Oh goodness, dearie, I almost didn't recognize you! You've grown so much! Still tinkering with your little toys?"

Veronica nodded enthusiastically and pulled Ava forward from where she was warily watching the mutant. Ava stumbled into the Lily's eyesight and swallowed under her gaze. Sure Davison and his kin were cool, but she didn't know if that went for all mutants. This one had apparently just killed Knox with kindness.

"Lily," Veronica said, "this is Ava. She's new to our little band of adventurers."

Feeling slightly awkward being introduced to the blue behemoth with what appeared to be a Vertibird blade strapped to her back as some sort of sword, Ava just gave a small wave and slight smile.

Lily gasped in loud shock, the noise sounding like a cross between a rockslide and a vacuum cleaner. She lifted her hands over her mouth and stooped down to peer at Ava closely.

"You're Ava? Oh how nice!" she crowed happily, clapping her massive hands together in delight. "Davison and his boys couldn't stop talking about you! You've got some admirers, young lady!"

Veronica wrapped her arms around Ava possessively. "They'll have to get in line then. She's all mine," she said, pressing her lips against Ava's cheek.

Ava scrunched away from her, blushing madly.

Lily stared down at them for a second. She murmured to herself, "Kids these days," before clearing her throat and saying, "Ignore this old woman's old ideas! You kids have fun together." She patted Ava and Veronica each on the shoulder. The two swung together at the "pat", their heads clacking together.

Ava couldn't help, but giggle as she rubbed the side of her skull. She laughed harder when Lily peered down at Knox, still lying on the ground.

"Dearie, how many times does Grandma have to tell you not to lay around on the ground like that? You'll get in some nice person's way." Lily reached down and grabbed one of Knox's arms, bodily lifting him back to his feet. She brushed some dirt off his chest nearly knocking him over once more.

"Lily! Lily, stop it!" he said, swatting her hands away.

Lily chuckled and left him alone with a good natured, "All right dearie."

Knox tried his best to compose himself, but Lily's appearance had him somewhat flustered. He cleared his throat once and then once more. He straightened his hat and twisted the ends of his mustache before saying, "Right… so. Ava… meet Lily."

"We've already met, dearie. You were on the ground."

Ava and Veronica stood next to each other quivering, trying to contain their laughter. Ava was biting her fist and Veronica had hid her face in Ava's shoulder as Knox stared sourly up at Lily. Lily seemed not to notice and just beamed happily at the three of them.

"So what brings you to New Vegas, Lily?" Knox asked, shooting the giggling girls a harsh look.

"Oh well I was out for a little walk and I saw all the bright lights," Lily waved her hands broadly around at the Strip. "I remembered Granny's favorite boy lives here and I decided I'd come visit you!" She reached down to pinch Knox's cheeks, but the Courier wisely ducked under her arms. "How have you been, dearie? Have you been behaving yourself?"

At that Ava snorted derisively. She clamped her hands over her mouth as everyone turned to look at her; Veronica in surprise at the adorable sound her girlfriend had just made, Lily beckoning for her to expound on her feelings, and Knox in unadulterated terror.

"Go on, dearie. Tell Grandma what her special boy has done now," Lily bid, one hand reaching back to pull Knox back towards them as he tried to back away quietly.

Ava flashed him a vindictive smirk and said, "He's not being bad per say, just overbearing and rude." Lily nodded gravely and looked down at Knox. Knox grinned weakly up at her.

"Grandma might have to tan your hide into leather," she admonished wagging a finger at the Courier. "Being rude to nice, young ladies is unacceptable!" She turned back to Ava. "What else, dearie? Tell me more."

"Well, it all started with Benny-"

Ava was cut off as a loud, vicious growl tore itself from Lily's throat. Ava visibly jumped and grasped at her sword nervously. Everyone who wasn't already looking at them because they were with a Nightkin on the Strip certainly was looking now. The growl petered out and Lily looked around bashfully.

"Sorry, dearies," she whispered, "Sometimes Leo just gets so angry about things."

The hard look on Knox's face softened somewhat and he stepped in front of Lily, one hand placed softly on her massive blue forearm.

"Lily. Has Leo been a problem recently?"

"Oh, no," Lily assured him. "Grandma takes her medicine and Leo's not a problem. Certain things just set him off, dearie. Like that snake, Benny."

Benny's name came out like a low growl.

Knox patted Lily on the arm again, drawing her attention back to him and off Benny. "Lily, why don't you head back to the Lucky 38 and rest for a little while? You must be tired after your walk."

"Well, I suppose Grandma could use a nap," she grumbled. "I just wished you didn't live in that dirty, old casino. Grandma's told you that it's no suitable place for an upstanding young man like you to live in. Come find Grandma later. We'll have a nice talk about your behavior."

Knox sighed, but kept smiling at Lily. "Absolutely. I'm sorry I disappointed you. I'll do better."

Lily patted him on the shoulder and said, "You're never a disappointment, dearie," before trundling off in the direction of the Lucky 38.

Ava, Veronica, and Knox watched her go, until she disappeared in the doors of the Lucky 38, bowing her head to get through.

"Is Leo one of her… voices?" Ava asked quietly. Knox nodded silently. "I'm sorry. I know Davison had them, but I guess… I don't know. Lily seemed so nice, I'd hoped…"

"It's alright. As long as Lily keeps taking her medicine she should be fine."

Veronica elbowed him affectionately and explained to Ava, "Knox worries about his big, blue Grandma."

Knox chuckled and looked at the two of them. "I worry about _all_ of you idiots," he said. "Which is why, as I told Lily, I'm going to do better."

"Do better?" Ava asked.

"Aye. Better. I might not like your plan, but I'll be damned if I don't do everything in my power to make sure it succeeds."

Ava stared at him in surprise for a few moments. "You mean… you're in? You're going to help? Like actually help this time?"

Knox laughed at the last bit, but nodded his head. "However," he suggested, "I'd recommend we find a different store. After you decking me inside, I don't think the owner is too fond of us. And besides, you're going about it all wrong."

Ava rolled her eyes and groaned. "I thought you were actually going to help!"

Knox grabbed Ava's and Veronica's elbows and began steering them away from the store they were at and towards the Gomorrah.

"The Chairmen have a thing for classy dames. Benny in particular," Knox explained as he led them along.

"If the next words out of your fucking mouth are that I'm not classy, I'm going to break your goddamned spine," Ava grumbled.

Knox chuckled at that and merely replied, "Case and point." Before Ava could take another swing at him he continued, "However, some of the Chairmen, Benny included, were once tribals. They still hold onto their old beliefs in honor and that sort of thing, despite their leader being a duplicitous bastard. Do you know what is popular among former tribals?"

Ava shook her head, but Veronica giggled and said, "I like where this is going." Ava gave her a look of confusion, but her attention was drawn away by the store they'd stopped in front of.

Knox had taken them to one of the shops bordering the Gomorrah. It was dark and dirty, and a ghoul was playing a saxophone on its steps. Above its door was a hammered metal sign illuminated by a fire behind it. It read 'the Gecko's Hide'.

With a grin, Knox said, "They like a dangerous and fierce woman. Something you're particularly good at." Ava smiled under the praise and cast a critical eye over the store's grimy exterior.

"And so a dress is out?" she asked, watching the ghoul dubiously.

Knox nodded and Veronica harrumphed. She'd rather enjoyed the idea of Ava in a dress. However, scantily clad and terrifying was almost an equally pleasing mental image. So with a wide smile she led the way into the store past the ghoul. Ava flicked a cap into his case before following in.

Upon stepping through the door her eyes widened. The store's merchandise was… interesting to say the least. Lots of leather and revealing outfits.

"Knox, if it's at all possible, I'd rather not look like a prostitute."

"Really? I wouldn't mind," Veronica chimed in. Ava reached over and covered her mouth before looking back at Knox expectantly.

"Don't worry. We can't have you looking too easy or every old fogey in the building will try to pay for you." Ava shook her head in disgust. "What we need is to make you look tough, intimidating, and yet still like a woman."

Knox wandered over to a rack and flipped through a couple of items before tossing a shirt to Ava. Its sleeves were torn off and had several ragged holes in it. Ava could believe it could have been artfully done, except the blood stains on it hinted at a slightly darker history. Not that wearing a corpse's clothing had ever really bothered her.

Before she could ponder where the store they were in got its merchandise further, Knox was already throwing more clothes at her. A vest with slight burning around the edges, a short leather skirt, some knee high boots with heels, stockings, bangles, jackets, pants.

Knox paused and looked back to where Veronica was trying to help Ava sort through the clothing Knox was throwing back at her. He suppressed a grin as he caught Veronica trying to surreptitiously sneak a rather scandalous pair of underwear into the mix as well.

Crossing his arms, he leaned against the wall. "Benny is a smart customer. He's very good at sniffing out danger. Which is why I haven't killed him yet. But he's also a man."

"Thus making him inherently less than me," Ava interjected, staring at herself in a mirror while holding up various articles of clothing. "I think I can seduce a man, Knox. It's really not that hard."

Holding his hands out in front of him peacefully, Knox said, "Please don't get mad at me, this is entirely informed by what you've told me, but weren't the majority of your… targets… also paying you? That kind of lessens the difficulty."

Ava frowned and Knox could tell she wanted to say something offensive to him, but he had voiced a valid concern. Maybe she was overestimating her abilities. There were certainly many more women in New Vegas and the majority of them were far cleaner than any competition she'd had in DC.

"I suppose," Ava admitted begrudgingly.

Veronica gave her a hug and consoled, "I'm sure your feminine wiles have destroyed many a man."

"As am I," Knox agreed. "It's just in this circumstance a different tact might be better employed. You've got to lure Benny after you. You've got to intrigue him, amaze him, tease him-"

Interjecting with her eyebrows raised, Ava asked, "You want me to be a tease?"

"Alright, wrong choice of words. What I'm trying to say is: you've got to be mysterious, attract him without giving a damn. It won't be easy. You need to be menacing, you need to be noir, you need to be aloof, and you need to be…"

"Me?" Ava was looking at herself in the mirror again, but looked away from herself to give Knox a cocky smile.

Knox appeared to consider it for a moment before admitting, "Okay, maybe this won't be as difficult for you as I originally predicted."

Ava tossed a few more articles of clothing aside and held up another shirt. "Of course it won't be difficult. I'm me."

"Don't get cocky," Knox warned, as Ava finished examining her clothing choices and stepped into a curtained changing room. "You got everything you need there?"

"I certainly think so," Ava said, stepping back out into the store.

Knox's eyes widened and Veronica let out an inarticulate moan.

Ava smirked. "Bingo."

_The back and forth between characters in this chapters was so enjoyable to write. I also found Lily to be a rather enjoyable character to write as well. She's rather fun. I know I usually give a oneshot in "The Wasteland Journals of Mr. Knox" for whenever I introduce one of the companions, but I will not be this time. There's another Lily interaction that I'm waiting for before posting her oneshot. But besides that, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. The caper will continue next time! Oh and always, please leave a review they make it easier for me to write. It shows you're all interested and that gets the creative juices flowing. Oh! And another thing. I love hearing your predictions about what is going to happen or you hope will happen. Feel free to drop those in a review or send them to me in a private message. They make my day. Later folks! Author out!_


	12. Show Time

_Man, this chapter was tough to write. I hope that doesn't show though, I hope it's as enjoyable as always. Got a news update at the end though, I recommend reading it. Go now! Enjoy and review!_

**June 2, 2280**

**19:00**

**The Strip**

The lights of the Strip shone up into the Mojave sky as the sun sank below the horizon. The omnipresent crowds seemed to thicken as if even more visitors to New Vegas were summoned by the neon shimmer of the city. NCR troopers, citizens, and settlers milled about in the throng, dressed in their best. Dresses, suits, hats, and all manner of jewelry. The shear multitude of people was almost oppressive.

Knox and Ava sat on the bench across from the Tops watching it all. Drunken gamblers stumbling around, high rollers with a woman on either arm, and House's securitrons rolling about and keeping the peace; from their seat they just observed.

"Cass, Veronica, Lilly, and I will be ready and waiting if you need us. Just give the call and we'll blow down the Tops doors, House's orders be damned."

Ava smiled at Knox's concern. He'd rallied every one of his companions in New Vegas and had them on high alert in the Lucky 38 casino, ready to move on the Tops at a moment's notice. Veronica had forgone her usual robes for a set of Brotherhood recon armor. She'd hugged Ava as tight as she could and told her she'd do fine, but Ava could still see the worry in her eyes. Before separating she'd pressed a switchblade into her palm. She disliked the idea of Ava losing _all _her weapons at the door. Even Cass had shown up sober, heavy metal shoulder pads strapped over her usual jacket. Lilly had just told her to have fun tonight.

And here was Knox. Wearing his full combat kit, plus a few extras. Several grenades were attached to his belt, as well as a camo patterned hunting shotgun slung over his shoulder, and his usual pistols. All in all he did not look like he was out for a night on the town.

As opposed to Ava who was dressed the part. She was wearing the outfit she'd purchased from the Gecko's Hide and while it felt nice to be wearing normal clothes, she just wished they were a little less revealing. The red and black skirt barely came midway down her thighs and the black dress vest she was wearing sported no back and a plunging neckline. That coupled with the lack of bra left every scar and tattoo she had on display. Just the sort of thing a former tribal might be interested in.

She sighed and watched people enter the Tops one after the other. Now that it had come down to it, she wasn't quite as thrilled on her plan anymore.

"You alright?"

Ava looked over at Knox. He was watching her with a worried expression. Letting her fight his battle didn't sit right with him. Even though it hadn't been him to ask her to do it.

"No, Knox. I am not alright," she answered. "But that doesn't mean I'm backing out," she added as Knox opened his mouth to predictably try to get her to abandon the plan. "I'm going in there and I'm getting the platinum chip. I just wish more shooting could be involved. Seduction isn't my go to weapon."

"Me neither," Knox teased with a reassuring smile. After their argument the day before, he'd supported her one hundred percent for this. "That being said, I think you've got what it takes in spades to get this done. House wouldn't have asked you if he didn't think you were capable."

"Oh, I'm capable all right!" Ava cracked her neck and stood up, nervously flicking her hair out of her eyes and smoothing her skirt. "I'm just a little uncomfortable with how personal this is going to get. My intimacy issues usually manifest themselves in blackouts and corpses."

"Lovely," Knox interjected, standing up next to her. "You ready to do this?"

"Whose idea was this again?"

"All yours."

"Great," Ava mumbled as she walked forward into the human mob and heading for the casino. She could feel the heat radiating up from the concrete through her thin sandals as she walked. She'd initially selected a pair of heels, but she couldn't quite manage to walk in the deathtraps much to Veronica's amusement. So a leather pair of sandals was the next best choice.

As she approached the doors to the Tops, she resisted the urge to look back and see if Knox was still there. Swallowing and pressing her nails into her palms, she took a deep breath. Now wasn't the time for nerves. Now, it was show time.

If the Gomorrah had assaulted her senses the moment she'd walked in, then the Tops was the opposite. It slid in, sly as a fox. Light jazz burbled out of hidden speakers, the rabble of quiet conversation punctuated by the occasional laugh, cigarette smoke drifted lazily through the air. Despite the crowds she'd watched flock inside, the Tops was somehow quieter than the rest of the Strip, masking the hustle and bustle of New Vegas.

"Hello, baby! Welcome to the Tops!" The drawn out hello caught her attention and Ava glanced over at a man smiling flirtatiously at her from behind a counter in the Lobby. "What can I do for you?" He raised his eyebrows suggestively.

Ava managed to conceal a smirk into a light smile. Apparently Knox wasn't exaggerating when he said that the Chairmen were a bunch of tribals dressed up in suits who still thought with their dicks. She could work with that.

"Well, I don't know," she answered, walking over with a sway in her step. "I just kind of… wandered into town. This place is something else." She leaned over onto the counter on her elbows. Mentally, she awarded the man for not immediately looking down her shirt.

With a smooth smile the man ran a hand through his perfect hair. "I won't lie, doll-face, you look like you're from out of town."

Biting her lip, Ava asked, "What gave me away?"

Laughing and clapping his hands together, the man wiped an imaginary tear from his eye. "Well, I could just have a sixth sense, but it could also be some of the stellar art you're sporting," he said motioning at her tattoos. "Or perhaps it could be the Ranger Sequoia you've got resting on your hip there."

Ava's hand fell lazily onto the revolver Knox had pulled out of a locker in the Lucky 38. The man had amassed a vast collection of weaponry and virtually had to drag Ava away from it. Instead he'd pressed the ornate pistol into her hands and shooed her away. The gun seemed to be recognizable enough that the Tops doorman knew it. She pulled the Sequoia out of its holster just enough that some of the detailing could be seen.

Leaning forward she whispered into the man's ear, "I'll let you in on a secret." She leaned back, suppressing a smile as the man almost followed her back over the counter. "I'm not a Ranger." She slid the revolver back into its holster.

"That you aren't, baby. That you aren't. I'd say you're much better. But I am going to have to take that piece from you. No weapons within the premise."

Ava frowned, playing the part of a wary wanderer. "And what if I need it on the premise?"

With a chuckle the man stepped around his counter and motioned for Ava to follow him over and look out at the casino. "Baby, take a look. You see any fights going down? Anyone looking to start something?" The question was rhetorical. "No you do not. That's because this is the Tops and the Chairmen don't let that sort of thing go down in the Tops."

He pointed around the room at several men dressed similarly to him. Each was armed with a machine gun and was watching the crowded casino casually from the walls. Ava couldn't believe her luck. Here she was, having the security pointed out to her. How nice. Making a mental note of each guard's location she cast around a bit more until her eyes settled on several guards all clustered around a cordoned off seating area.

She pointed at it. "And that? VIP area?"

The man's eyes followed her finger over and settled. "That… would be a private area."

"A private area? You're not going to tell me?" Ava pouted. "I told you a secret."

With an exasperated grin the man leaned and said with his voice lowered, "You see those guys standing around? Bodyguards."

Ava perked up at that. "Bodyguards?"

Nodding, the man continued. "You betcha. My boss likes to watch the floor, but he likes to do it at his leisure. That's his hang out spot."

Benny.

Hiding in plain sight, she figured. It was hard to assassinate someone sitting out in the middle of a casino surrounded by guards. Way too public.

That being said it was a step in the right direction. She broke her gaze away from the private area and looked back to her new, very helpful friend. "So that's where your boss hangs, huh? I bet you're his number two," she teased lightly.

"That I am," the man said. Ava's fake smile fell off her face in shock, but she quickly replaced it. "Name's Swank. Pleasure to meet you."

Swank held his hand out, but when Ava went to shake it, he turned the tables and leaned in to kiss her hand lightly. She couldn't have faked the mad blush spreading across her cheeks if she tried. Swank grinned at the effect.

Composing herself, Ava asked, "You're really the second in command? You're not just pulling one over on a poor, little, out of town girl?"

"I really doubt you're an easy one to pull the wool over on. But yeah, to answer your question, I really am. I handle the day to day running of the Tops for Benny. He handles the more important stuff, but still finds time to be seen."

"Fascinating," she remarked. "Well, Swank, thanks for being so helpful. Maybe I'll find you later on after I've made some caps," she said suggestively with a bright smile. She started to walk away, but Swank caught her elbow.

"That does sound promising and I hope this doesn't damage my chances, but I still need that hand-cannon of yours."

Smiling impishly, Ava pulled the Sequoia out of its holster and handed it to Swank. "And here I thought I was being sneaky."

Swank chuckled and accepted the pistol. "I'll have this locked up tight for you. That way you have to come back and see me again."

"It's a deal," she said before turning to walk away and immediately rolling her eyes. Yeah, right. As casually as she could Ava walked over to a set of stairs leading up to a second floor that overlooked the casino floor.

Heading up, she weaved through the crowd until she could lean on the railing of the balcony. Standing clear as day amidst all the bright electric lights and laughing people was a suit. A black and white checkered suit. A suit that Knox had warned her about. Benny's suit.

The man who had executed Knox. Ava felt her blood boil and she suppressed a sharp growl as she locked eyes on the man. She doubted she'd have ever liked the man; he seemed to ooze sleaziness, but here and now? She _hated_ him with her entire being.

Hearing her own knuckles crack as she clenched the bannister she was leaning on caused her to take a deep breath. Angry was good, but only if she managed it. Not managing it usually meant she would end up surrounded by bloody bodies. Later that could be useful, but not now. Now she needed to focus.

Benny was seated with a drink in hand and a cigarette in the other. His eyes looking out over his kingdom, but his expression said he was miles away. Six bodyguards stood around his little roped off area, faces hard and weapons at the ready.

Frowning, she pondered this problem. She knew that getting Benny alone was never going to be easy, but now looking at his setup she was having trouble thinking of how she could even approach him. She doubted the guards would let her come near him. Those weapons and cold stares at passerby were not for show.

So if she couldn't go to him, she had to get him to come to her. That was easier said than done. If you wanted someone to come to you, you needed to attract attention. Her mission in the Tops was largely stealth so a large display would be bad.

No just starting a brawl or something; turning the casino floor into a war to entrap Benny was probably a bad plan. The coward would most likely just run away.

Ava sank her head against the cool wood railing with a soft thunk. Why did House pick her for this? She was no good with precision like this. Blackmail and the threat of violence were as surgical as she'd ever get.

Thinking about the problem harder, she tried to come up with more solutions than "kill everyone". She could get herself captured, but she didn't know how the Chairmen handled that. Shoot behind the building? Turn over to the securitrons? That didn't get her closer to Benny.

Again she was faced with the fact that she needed Benny to come to her. She needed him to want to talk to her. She needed him to trust her. And if Knox wasn't overestimating the leader of the Tops then Benny didn't trust easily. So how to make him trust her? She was an x-factor to him, an unknown. He wouldn't trust an unknown if he thought his life was being threatened by House. He'd treat every unknown like a threat.

So maybe the only way was to become known. The only threat you trusted was the one you knew; the one right in front of you. Why worry about the man you could see with a gun when someone else might be walking up to stab you in the back?

Right now she was going for the backstab. She needed to be upfront. That still required her to get him to come to her. Or perhaps… she just needed someone who _could_ get to Benny, some he already trusted.

Swank.

She caught sight of the Chairman welcoming a group of visitors into the Tops. He was Benny's number two. He'd be able to just walk right up to him. She just needed Swank to take her with him.

With a savage grin, Ava slowly walked back down the stairs to Swank's counter. This could work. This_ would_ work. Everything was coming together. Palming the switchblade Veronica had given her out of its hiding place, Ava walked up behind Swank and tapped him on the shoulder.

He spun around and brightened up upon seeing her. "Doll-face! Back so soon?"

Ava stepped close to him sliding a finger down his chest. "I was thinking about our conversation earlier."

Swank's eyebrows shot up towards his hairline. "Well, aren't you eager? But you and I gotta wait till later, baby."

She slid her hand inside his jacket and popped the blade on her knife. Swank stiffened at the unmistakable sound. "Actually, I was referring to our talk about Benny," she said, looping her arm into Swank's and steering him towards the casino floor. "He and I need to have a little chat."

Swank allowed himself to be guided along, but the smiles and charm had vanished. Now he just stared at her coolly. Ava could see the wheels turning in his head, just waiting for a moment to strike.

"You think you can just walk right up to the boss and make a play? You think I'll let that happen?"

"Well, you are currently letting it happen," Ava pointed out. "But you don't need to worry. I'm not trying to kill Benny," she said. Technically it wasn't a lie. She wasn't trying to. At least not at the moment. "I was serious when I said he and I need to talk."

"Oh really? A conversation is all you want, bitch?" Swank asked with cold sarcasm as they moved in and out of the throng of casino visitors.

"Yes, really." She dug the blade of the knife into Swank's chest uncomfortably cutting his shirt and almost piercing his skin. "And no need to be rude about it. This is honestly the more preferable way I could've done this."

"Seeing as I have a front row seat to this, I'd really hate to see what you consider not preferable."

Ava gave a short laugh. "It involves lots of explosives," she teased. Swank winced as she said it. "This way the Tops is still standing when I'm done."

"How nice of you," Swank grumbled. "That's very considerate."

"You know what, Swank? It _is_ considerate. Thanks for noticing. No one gives me enough credit for not making things explode or people bleed. That's not easy for me! Thank you."

"Oh god. I'm being held hostage by a psychopath," Swank muttered.

"And you were doing so well being polite," Ava said, her voice dripping with mock disappointment. "But I should give you some credit. I find that the real gentlemen are revealed when their lives are in danger. If you can still be polite with a knife poking in your ribs, then you're alright in my book."

"Have a lot of experience taking hostages then?"

Ava shushed Swank as she led him past one of the Tops' guards, hugging herself closer to him, appearing like nothing more than one of the Strip's many pieces of eye candy hanging off of someone's arm.

As soon as they were away Ava stepped back into a more comfortable position. "Actually, I don't. Hostages always seemed like more trouble than they were worth. Prisoners too. I suppose historically I just killed them," she said thoughtfully. She noticed Swank noticeably get paler and she added, "But don't worry, Swank. I have no intention of killing you. You're too nice."

"Glad I made a good impression," he said weakly. His eyes flicked away from her to the private lounge they were approaching. "I'm telling you, whatever you've got planned? It won't fly. Benny's well-guarded."

"I told you. I'm just here to talk!"

"You sure I can't persuade you-"

Ava twisted the knife, cutting him off and shutting him up as they walked up to the guards standing on either side of a velvet rope cordoning off the area. And behind them was the man in the checkered suit.

"Hiya!" Ava said brightly. "We're here to see Benny!"

The guards looked at her in confusion, then at each other, and finally at Swank. "Sir?" one of them asked.

Swank looked at Ava and she smiled at him an eyebrow raised. "Sir?" she mimicked.

Swank screwed his eyes shut before saying, "Yep. We're here to see Benny."

The guard nodded at him and unhooked the cordon, waving them past. As they walked into the lounge, Swank leaned down to Ava's ear and hissed, "I'm trusting you. Talk only. You do anything funny and I'll shoot you myself!" He stood back up his expression serious and his eyes hard.

"You're funny when you try to act tough."

That wiped the look off his face fast enough.

"Swank, it's always nice to see you, but what the hell are you doing here? And why the piece of ass?" Ava bristled as Benny casually looked over at them, apparently not a care in the world. Benny looked over at her and said, "No offence, sweetheart. You look great."

"Sorry, boss, but- uh… well. She said she wanted to talk to you," Swank said as calmly as he could.

Benny chuckled and idly pulled a loose string on the couch he was reclining on. "And you thought some dame wanting to talk to me was important enough to bother me. Again, baby, no offence."

Benny smiled at Ava again and she suddenly felt the urge to take a shower.

"I- I… um, I got the idea it was important, boss," Swank said. Benny raised an eyebrow, clearly doubting his second in command. "She, uh, she has…"

Ava finished his sentence by reaching over with her free hand and lifting Swank's jacket to reveal the switchblade pressed against his ribs.

Benny shot to his feet instantly alert, one hand reaching into his jacket, presumably for a weapon.

Swank held his arms up, panicked. "Seriously! Be cool! She says she's just here to talk!"

"Actually," Ava said, stretching the 'actually' out, "I was hired to kill him."

Looking at her in disbelief, Swank swore, "You lying bitch!"

"I said I was _hired_ to, not that I'm _going _to!"

While Swank glared at Ava and Ava shrugged, Benny pulled an ornate, silver pistol out of his jacket and pulled the hammer back before leveling it at Ava. Swank's eye widened at Benny's complete disregard for his second in command's safety. Ava's widened as she took in the beautiful pistol. That gorgeous gun would be hers by the end of all this, she promised herself greedily.

Benny smirked, misreading her expression as fear. "As interesting as this is," he said, "baby, I really don't take kindly to death threats."

"I'd imagine not," Ava said calmly. "I'd also imagine you'd be interested in knowing who wants you dead. Like I said, I'm not here to kill you. I figured we could make a deal. I've got information."

Benny chuckled. "You'd be surprised, baby. A lot of cats want me dead. It's not really valuable information. You should have thought about that before marching in here."

"I don't know. I feel like this one you'll want to hear about. Cowboy hat? Mustache? Bullet scar in the temple?" Benny's eyes widened as she described Knox. "I'm pretty sure he was a Courier. And he _really_ hates you."

Benny slowly lowered his pistol, the confidant smile gone from his face. "I think… uh, I think you and I should go talk somewhere a little more private."

"Boss?" Swank said in confusion.

"It's cool, Swank. Everything's cool, ya dig? Me and miss, uh… miss?"

"Ava."

"Miss Ava and I need to go have a little chat. Upstairs."

Benny pointed to an elevator behind them. Ava released Swank and clicked the switchblade closed. She waved goodbye to Swank and motioned for Benny to lead the way.

"After you, Benny."

_Right, so. Big ol' author's note. This was posted on either December 14__th__, 2014. It is the last thing I will be posting until February 1__st__. That's not to say I won't be writing in that time. Just not posting. When February 1__st__ rolls around you can expect quite a lot. In "Dead Man's Hand" I will have multiple chapters posted wrapping up the current story arc. "The Wasteland Journal of Mr. Knox" will have two updates, one for Lilly and a final one for Cass. I will also have around five or six chapters ready to go for a new story that takes place in the "Shattered Illusions" universe. It is standalone, but does impact "Dead Man's Hand". The reason I am taking time to write all this out before posting is because it all ties together and I want to make sure it all makes sense for you. So you don't miss the next update, I implore you to follow "Dead Man's Hand". That way you will know when everything is cool and rolling again. Sound good? Good. In the meantime please leave a review they make me feel great and make the writing that much better. As always if you have any questions, send them to me in a message and I will gladly reply. See you all in February!_


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